Umbanda: identidade e metamorfose - a formação de identidade religiosa em um terreiro em São Luís - MA

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the Umbanda identity based on the life histories of the members of a terreiro and its hierarchical triad (mãe de santo, mãe pequena, and pai pequeno) in the city of São Luís in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. The study considered individual, social, cultural and historical aspects based on the concepts and dynamics of identity described by Ciampa (1984; 1987) and Hall (2002), as well as on the contribution of Belzen (2010) and the cultural psychology of religion. In opposition to pathologizing and reductionist theories of the mediumistic experience in Umbanda, we sought a psychosocial analysis model in which subjectivity is considered in its dialectic with the socio-historical dimension. It is believed that the religious identity of umbandistas points to a complex identity, formed from various sociocultural references in a constant interplay of metamorphosis and search for identity. The personal trajectory of the interviewees also points to the centrality of trance and the experience with spiritual entities in the construction of the role of medium and in the genesis and maintenance of the group's identity. It is hoped that this work will contribute to the development of psychological and psychosocial theories that are more in line with the Brazilian reality and that can mobilize critical discussions on the generalization of classical concepts in the psychology of religious identity beyond the North American and European contexts