In Talavera, a small town in the rural south-central Peruvian Andes, Catholicism is deeply rooted in local institutions, society and history. I explore Talaveran Catholicism primarily through the eyes of the priests and the core parish community, and in doing so seek to contribute to the anthropology of Christianity, including the anthropology of Catholicism, and the anthropology of the Andes. Engaging with dominant models in the anthropology of Christianity of Christianity as a religion of conversion and radical discontinuity, I argue that in Talavera, such models no longer ring true for local Catholics: instead, Christian conversion is long forgotten and taken for granted, while Christianity is an important source of continuity with the past. This is related to the activities of the current generation of Catholic priests in Talavera, who are locally native and who by and large tend to be more sympathetic to local Andean Catholic traditions as a result—but without subscribing to dominant anthropological framings for pro-Andean sentiment. Instead, I draw on David Brown's formulation of Christian tradition to argue for a new anthropological model views the ‘syncretic' aspects of Andean Catholicism as simply part of Catholicism in general. Following the emphasis on incorporating theology, I subsequently argue that we need to take seriously Catholic notions of sacramentality as an ontological transformation—a theme throughout the majority of the thesis. I argue that sacramentality underlies how Catholic priests can be simultaneously divine and human through the sacrament of ordination; structures clerical-lay relations in Catholic parishes by creating the space for lay assistants to carry out the work of priests without becoming priests themselves; and causes membership of the Catholic Church, thereby leaving belief to carry out the work of improving, rather than effecting, one's Catholic-ness.

Este trabalho é uma etnografia com a comunidade do Ilê Asè Omi Olodô, terreiro de Batuque localizado na Vila São José, em Porto Alegre, realizada no período de 2011 a 2013. Essa comunidade de terreiro se assemelha à maioria dos terreiros da cidade em termos socioeconômicos, localizando-se em uma região periférica; contudo, é uma comunidade que se diferencia pelo posicionamento político ao refletir míticosocialmente sobre si mesma. Desse modo, o foco da presente etnografia é a descrição da eco(cosmo)logia de matriz africana observada em campo, considerando que ela se faz entre-dois mundos, o “ocidental” e o de matriz africana. Essa dissertação percorre a narrativa dessa experiência com a comunidade dentro e fora do terreiro, buscando explicitar essa forma de habitar (entre) dois mundos. A partir dessa perspectiva, buscase demonstrar que há uma metodologia do ambiente que inicia no corpo. O ambientecorpo é percebido na relação entre os momentos cotidianos e os momentos rituais; entre eles, percebe-se o fazer-se das habilidades e das potências que emergem da orisálidade. Assim, a Antropologia Ecológica de Tim Ingold contribui para narrar o aprendizado obtido na vivência no Ilê Asè Omi Olodô enquanto localidade cosmopolítica. Além disso, a narrativa se orienta no sentido de descrever a vivência da afrocentridade, da ancestralidade, da oralidade, da complementaridade e da circularidade. / This work is an ethnography of community from Ilê Asè Omi Olodô (terreiro de Batuque) located in Vila Sao Jose in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from 2011 up to 2013. This terreiro shares attributes with other terreiros, such as their peripheral location in the city and their ritual practices. It is very distinct, however, in terms of political orientation and self-reflective practices over mythical and social themes. Therefore, this research work aims to describe the eco(cosmo)logy – rooted in African origins – observed in the field, considering that it is established between two worlds, occidental-based and African-based. From that standpoint, the objective is to demonstrate the existence of a methodology of the environment whose starting point is the body. The bodyenvironment is perceived in the relation of the daily and the ritual moments; among them, it is possible to see the abilities and potentialities emerged from the orisálidade. Hence, the Ecological Antropology by Tim Ingold contributes to narrate the learning process experienced in Ilê Asè Omi Olodô as a cosmopolitical location. Besides, the narrative is oriented in order to describe the experience of afrocentricity, ancestrality, oral tradition, complementarity and circularity.

Este trabalho é uma etnografia com a comunidade do Ilê Asè Omi Olodô, terreiro de Batuque localizado na Vila São José, em Porto Alegre, realizada no período de 2011 a 2013. Essa comunidade de terreiro se assemelha à maioria dos terreiros da cidade em termos socioeconômicos, localizando-se em uma região periférica; contudo, é uma comunidade que se diferencia pelo posicionamento político ao refletir míticosocialmente sobre si mesma. Desse modo, o foco da presente etnografia é a descrição da eco(cosmo)logia de matriz africana observada em campo, considerando que ela se faz entre-dois mundos, o “ocidental” e o de matriz africana. Essa dissertação percorre a narrativa dessa experiência com a comunidade dentro e fora do terreiro, buscando explicitar essa forma de habitar (entre) dois mundos. A partir dessa perspectiva, buscase demonstrar que há uma metodologia do ambiente que inicia no corpo. O ambientecorpo é percebido na relação entre os momentos cotidianos e os momentos rituais; entre eles, percebe-se o fazer-se das habilidades e das potências que emergem da orisálidade. Assim, a Antropologia Ecológica de Tim Ingold contribui para narrar o aprendizado obtido na vivência no Ilê Asè Omi Olodô enquanto localidade cosmopolítica. Além disso, a narrativa se orienta no sentido de descrever a vivência da afrocentridade, da ancestralidade, da oralidade, da complementaridade e da circularidade. / This work is an ethnography of community from Ilê Asè Omi Olodô (terreiro de Batuque) located in Vila Sao Jose in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from 2011 up to 2013. This terreiro shares attributes with other terreiros, such as their peripheral location in the city and their ritual practices. It is very distinct, however, in terms of political orientation and self-reflective practices over mythical and social themes. Therefore, this research work aims to describe the eco(cosmo)logy – rooted in African origins – observed in the field, considering that it is established between two worlds, occidental-based and African-based. From that standpoint, the objective is to demonstrate the existence of a methodology of the environment whose starting point is the body. The bodyenvironment is perceived in the relation of the daily and the ritual moments; among them, it is possible to see the abilities and potentialities emerged from the orisálidade. Hence, the Ecological Antropology by Tim Ingold contributes to narrate the learning process experienced in Ilê Asè Omi Olodô as a cosmopolitical location. Besides, the narrative is oriented in order to describe the experience of afrocentricity, ancestrality, oral tradition, complementarity and circularity.

Este trabalho é uma etnografia com a comunidade do Ilê Asè Omi Olodô, terreiro de Batuque localizado na Vila São José, em Porto Alegre, realizada no período de 2011 a 2013. Essa comunidade de terreiro se assemelha à maioria dos terreiros da cidade em termos socioeconômicos, localizando-se em uma região periférica; contudo, é uma comunidade que se diferencia pelo posicionamento político ao refletir míticosocialmente sobre si mesma. Desse modo, o foco da presente etnografia é a descrição da eco(cosmo)logia de matriz africana observada em campo, considerando que ela se faz entre-dois mundos, o “ocidental” e o de matriz africana. Essa dissertação percorre a narrativa dessa experiência com a comunidade dentro e fora do terreiro, buscando explicitar essa forma de habitar (entre) dois mundos. A partir dessa perspectiva, buscase demonstrar que há uma metodologia do ambiente que inicia no corpo. O ambientecorpo é percebido na relação entre os momentos cotidianos e os momentos rituais; entre eles, percebe-se o fazer-se das habilidades e das potências que emergem da orisálidade. Assim, a Antropologia Ecológica de Tim Ingold contribui para narrar o aprendizado obtido na vivência no Ilê Asè Omi Olodô enquanto localidade cosmopolítica. Além disso, a narrativa se orienta no sentido de descrever a vivência da afrocentridade, da ancestralidade, da oralidade, da complementaridade e da circularidade. / This work is an ethnography of community from Ilê Asè Omi Olodô (terreiro de Batuque) located in Vila Sao Jose in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from 2011 up to 2013. This terreiro shares attributes with other terreiros, such as their peripheral location in the city and their ritual practices. It is very distinct, however, in terms of political orientation and self-reflective practices over mythical and social themes. Therefore, this research work aims to describe the eco(cosmo)logy – rooted in African origins – observed in the field, considering that it is established between two worlds, occidental-based and African-based. From that standpoint, the objective is to demonstrate the existence of a methodology of the environment whose starting point is the body. The bodyenvironment is perceived in the relation of the daily and the ritual moments; among them, it is possible to see the abilities and potentialities emerged from the orisálidade. Hence, the Ecological Antropology by Tim Ingold contributes to narrate the learning process experienced in Ilê Asè Omi Olodô as a cosmopolitical location. Besides, the narrative is oriented in order to describe the experience of afrocentricity, ancestrality, oral tradition, complementarity and circularity.

This thesis deals with some aspects of the religiosity of the members of the Czech community, who claim to be a part of a Messianic Judaism movement. The text is based on the field research I did within the congregation. In the introduction, I attempt to present definitions of this type of religiosity, describe the historical development of the movement, make connection to evangelical religiosity, outline its basic pillars, clarify the role of non-Jewish believers in this movement, and ultimately outline possible forms of worship. Next, I describe my journey into the field, the development of my relationships with the informers and then I evaluate my insider-outsider position in the community. In the practical part of the thesis, I try to reveal the path of individual church members to this type of religiosity, relying on Kaell's concept of "born-again seeking". Based on testimonies from individual believers, I try to uncover why the congregation does not accept more elements of Pentecostal religiosity, as can be seen in many Messianic communities, especially in the United States and England. On the contrary, the church's aims seem to be a counterweight to emotional Pentecostal religiosity. On the phenomena of the celebration of Jewish holidays, the observance of the Sabbath, the relations to the...

The presented work deals with certain aspects of catholic monastic life; it has been elaborated on the basis of a field research carried out in a female monastic community of an active order in the Czech Republic. In the work, I focus primarily on the topic of prayer and I am trying to answer the following questions: what is the nuns' attitude towards prayer like, which activities we can consider a prayer in the monastic community and what is the influence of these activities on actors in this setting? On theoretical level, the thesis is based especially on the concept of total institutions by E. Goffman and on Pierre Bourdieu's conception of habitus. The text consists of four major parts. In the first, introductory part I describe methodological and ethical issues relevant to my research. In the second part, I concern myself briefly with monastic life in general, its origins and development, and also with stages of monastic life of an individual. The following empirical part based on ethnographic data from my field notes is presented as a description of "a common day" in the monastic community. The last part is theoretical and analytical at the same time; here I deal with the main topic of the thesis. Firstly, I present Goffman's concept of total institutions and I explain how according to this...

This research is focused on a group of vegan and vegan-curious individuals who are creating, building and maintaining a vegan community of practice in Houston, Texas. Through ethnographic methods, including participant observation, in-depth semi-structured interviews, surveys, quantitative analysis, and use of geographic information systems (GIS), this thesis considers motivations, group hierarchies, core and peripheral membership, practices, beliefs and construction of identity within the vegan community of practice. Further, concepts from the anthropology of religion are utilized in discourse analysis around conversion to ethical veganism, preaching, and religious-ethical beliefs around enlightenment and the principle of ahimsa. Utilizing subcultural studies and social movement theory, this thesis also shows how the vegan community of practice fits into vegan subcultures and the greater vegan lifestyle movement. Finally, as an applied project, deliverables to the client Vegan Society of PEACE includes both personal and structural barriers to veganism which are understood with respect to a race-conscious approach to veganism, and with special consideration given to the capitalist commodification of animals. Suggestions are given and strategies for growth of the community are highlighted at the end of this paper.

Studien syftar till att analysera sanfolkets existentiella riter och transformativa processer ur ett dramapedagogiskt perspektiv. Bakgrunden avgränsas till att undersöka och redogöra för Ju/’hoansifolkets etnografi, kosmologi samt riter med fokusering på de transformativa processerna. Metodansatsen är en aletisk och objektiverande hermeneutik med ett abduktivt tillvägagångsätt. Tidigare forskning belyser det antropologiska perspektivet på riter, Ju/’hoansis ontologiska transformationer samt beröringspunkterna mellan antropologi och teater. Den teoretiska referensramen redogör för det dramapedagogiska paradigmet och dess olika tolkningar på transformativa och kommunikativa kunskapsprocesser. I analysen redovisas resultatet med hjälp av rotmetaforer med den mest framstående korrelationen; den ontologiska pluralismen. Genom analysen framträdde även ett övergripande tema av det upplevelsebaserade kontinuumet. Resultatet och metodansatsen revideras i diskussionen. / The study aims to analyze the existential rites and transformative processes of the san people from a drama educational perspective. The background is constrained to examining and describing the Ju/’hoansi people's ethnography, cosmology and rites with a focus on the transformative processes. The method approach is alethic and objectifying hermeneutics with an abductive reasoning. Previous research sheds light on the anthropological perspective on rituals, Ju/’hoansi’s ontological transformations and the points of contact between anthropology and theatre. The theoretical frame of reference describes the drama educational paradigm and its different interpretations of transformative and communicative learning processes. In the analysis, the results are reported using root metaphors with the most prominent correlation; the ontological pluralism. Through the analysis, an overarching theme of the experience-based continuum also emerged. The result and the method approach are revised in the discussion.

This thesis examines issues of cultural identity and modernity, and the anthropology of spirituality and sacred sites by conducting ethnographic research on fairy beliefs in contemporary Ireland. Irish folk belief has traditionally identified a spirit world intertwined with our own which is inhabited by spirits, often collectively referred to as fairies. Belief in these spirits was once widespread. My research sought to determine the prevalence of these traditional beliefs among modern Irish people within my research area, as well as differences in belief across variables including age, gender, and religious preference. I conducted eight weeks of ethnographic fieldwork during June-August 2008 in and around Sligo Town in County Sligo, Ireland. I selected County Sligo as a research site because it is a sparsely populated, largely rural area, identified in an earlier major study of Irish folklore as a region where belief in the Irish spirit world persisted more strongly than in other parts of the country. My primary research methodology was to conduct structured and unstructured interviews, complemented by visual site surveys. In the preparation of this thesis I utilized data from 52 Sligo residents plus ten other visitors to the area from surrounding Irish counties. While my research suggests that few Sligo residents from the project area continue to believe in the literal existence of fairies, it also shows a much more common belief in a "power" associated with sites identified as "fairy forts," which are natural features of the landscape or the remains of ancient burials or dwellings apocryphally endowed by folk tradition with supernatural or mysterious energies. These beliefs led to a taboo against intruding on, altering, or destroying these "forts" that is still very much alive today. Additionally I was able to discuss at length the subject of the Irish death-herald spirit called the banshee (bean sidhe) with several study participants. Although it can be classified under the umbrella label of "fairy", my research indicates that the banshee is seen as a stand-apart element of Irish tradition by research area residents, and is believed in by those who do not otherwise profess a belief in "fairies" in general.

Le paysage religieux québécois a connu depuis les années 1960 des transformations profondes, que l’on associe classiquement au processus de sécularisation de la province et à la diversification des régions d’origine de son immigration. Le passage d’une immigration surtout européenne, et donc principalement chrétienne ou juive, à une immigration issue d’autres régions de monde participa à l’émergence d’une nouvelle diversité religieuse au Québec. Ce mémoire se propose d’explorer le cas d’une des religions qui fut introduite suite à l’accueil de réfugiés vietnamiens entre les années 1970 et 1990, le caodaïsme. Bien que très faiblement représentés à Montréal et au Québec comparativement aux Vietnamiens bouddhistes et catholiques, les caodaïstes ont rapidement formé leur propre congrégation, celle-ci ayant été un lieu de soutien pour les nouveaux arrivants vietnamiens. Basées sur un terrain mené en 2014 et en 2015 auprès du Temple Caodaïque de Montréal, les analyses proposées dans ce mémoire mettent en lumière le rôle particulier qu’a pu jouer cette congrégation religieuse auprès de ses membres dans leur insertion à la société québécoise, tout en soulignant l’évolution qu’a connue le rôle de ce lieu de culte après trois décennies d’existence et le déclin de l’immigration vietnamienne au Québec. Par ailleurs, nous analysons les différentes adaptations qu’a connue la pratique, collective comme individuelle, du caodaïsme au Québec en mettant en exergue l’importance de l’influence du contexte sécularisé et de la condition minoritaire. Nous montrons finalement la manière dont les adeptes de cette congrégation cherchent à mettre leur doctrine en cohérence avec la société québécoise. / The religious landscape in Quebec has undergone profound changes since the 1960s. These transformations are typically associated with the process of secularization of the province and the diversification of the origins of its immigrants. The transition from a mainly European immigration, and therefore mainly Christian or Jewish, to an immigration from other regions of the world, contributed to the formation of a newly established religious diversity in Quebec. This master’s thesis explores the case of Caodaism a religion that was first introduced by Vietnamese refugees between the 1970s and 1990s. Although Caodaists were few in numbers in Montreal and Quebec compared to Vietnamese Buddhists and Catholics, they quickly formed their own congregation, which became a site where new Vietnamese immigrants could seek support. Based on fieldwork conducted in 2014 and 2015 with the Temple Caodaïque de Montréal, I examine the role that this religious congregation played in the integration of its members into Quebec society, while demonstrating the transformation of the role ascribed to the Caodaist place of worship through the last three decades of existence and the decline of Vietnamese immigration in Quebec. Furthermore, I analyze how the collective and individual practice of Caodaism in Quebec has adapted though time, emphasising the importance of the influence of the secularized context and the religion’s minority status. I finally show how the members of this congregation strive to make their religious doctrine consistent with Quebec society.