The Taste of Blood: Spirit Possession in Brazilian Candomblé

Product Description


Winner of the 1992 Victor Turner Prize in Ethnographic WritingCandomble, a religion that traces its origins to West Africa, has become a major cultural force by adapting itself to the realities of contemporary Brazil. Spirit possession is an important feature of the rituals of this religion, and it also plays a significant part in the everyday lives of its adherents. The fact that Candomble is an essentially oral tradition means that it is difficult to understand if one attempts to separate it from the particular individuals who embody it. Accordingly, this study takes the form of a series of interlinked narratives that present the religion through the words, passions, actions and interactions of members, both spirit and human, of a small Candomble community on the outskirts of the city of Salvador da Bahia. The analytical commentary that is woven into these narratives focuses on the negotiation of boundaries within Candomble. The boundary between human and spirit realms has analogies with other boundaries - between individuals, between the sexes, between humans and animals, and between classes. These considerations provide the opportunity for reflection on anthropology's negotiation of the boundaries between cultures.


Review


"An excellent story, rich in ethnographic material, untraditional in form, courageous in personal revelations, and with definite qualities in the attempts to guide the reader through insights, recognitions, and increasing understanding, without hiding the researcher's own confusion and doubts. It gives us more than a slight glance into the fascinating, earthly, puzzling, and still too little known world of Brazilian Candomble."—Ethnos.


"Well written and rich in ethnographic detail, the book makes an engaging story with sometimes touching accounts of personal experiences with fellow initiates who have "tasted the blood" of a religion that traces its roots to Africa and Brazilian folk traditions."—Society of Lesbian and Gay Anthropologists Newsletter


"A narrative full of almost novelistic devices, attempting to evoke the full reality of this complex, unknown, exciting and somewhat frightening way, or concept, of life."—British Bulletin of Publications


"Succeeds as an innovative ethnography. . . . Intriguing and scintillating . . . The Taste of Blood brilliantly explores both Condomble and the representations of ethnographic research."—Folklore Forum


About the Author


Jim Wafer works as a consultant anthropologist in central Australia.