Entre a oralidade e a escrita: percepções e usos do discurso etnográfico no candomblé da Bahia. / Between orality and writing: perceptions and uses of ethnographic discourse in Bahia candomblé.

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2005

RESUMO

In studies of Afro-Brazilian religion, the idea that the transmission of religious knowledge in candomblé terreiros occurs via exclusively oral means has long been paradigmatic. Since the 1980s, however, the possibility that ethnography itself may exert an influence over this ?oral tradition? has come under scrutiny. According to some, ethnographic discourse has precipitated a veritable ?invention of tradition? in ritual practice; others maintain that the povo-de-santo has always been impervious to what academics think and write about them. The present study approaches this question through interviews with candomblé initiates and observations in a number of different terreiros in Salvador, as well as archival research on past uses of writing and photography. My findings suggest that the way that ethnography is received in Bahian terreiros depends on how it is used. On the one hand, it is seen as an impoverished alternative to traditional means of acquiring religious knowledge; on the other, its dissemination in society at large is often perceived as useful in constructing a more positive public image of candomblé. The study also documents the existence of a variety of present and past emic uses of writing and photography. Such uses include inscriptions and portraits that invoke the power of spiritual entities; notebooks called cadernos de fundamento, used to record certain aspects of religious knowledge; and more recently, published books and Internet sites. There is considerable disagreement among the terreiros as to what extent some of these narrative and visual forms should circulate. However, most tend to be used in ways that are consonant with the epistemological paradigm, which is based not so much on orality per se but on multisensory, lived experience, in which direct contact with the elders over time plays an essential role. An understanding of these emic practices forms an important point of departure in analyzing the perceptions and uses of ethnography in Bahian candomblé. Keywords: candomblé, oral tradition, cultural studies, ethnography, visual anthropology.

ASSUNTO(S)

candomblé literature and anthropology tradição oral photography and ethnology literatura e antropologia candomblé-bahia oral tradition linguistica bahia fotografia na etnologia

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