Submitted by isabela.moljf@hotmail.com (isabela.moljf@hotmail.com) on 2017-05-15T12:09:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 sebastiaoluispetronilhodecastro.pdf: 10336844 bytes, checksum: a361c36e0b29f3f2bc593f2c5ef880b3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-05-17T15:53:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 sebastiaoluispetronilhodecastro.pdf: 10336844 bytes, checksum: a361c36e0b29f3f2bc593f2c5ef880b3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-17T15:53:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 sebastiaoluispetronilhodecastro.pdf: 10336844 bytes, checksum: a361c36e0b29f3f2bc593f2c5ef880b3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-04-23 / Esta dissertação de mestrado tem por finalidade a análise histórica e sócioantropológica do cruzeiro religioso desde os seus primeiros indícios no Caminho Novo, nas proximidades da Vila de Santo Antônio do Paraybuna, à cidade contemporânea de Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. Em um recorte temporal longo, que vai do século XVIII aos dias atuais, foram examinadas a religiosidade católica e a religiosidade umbandista no âmbito prescrito e praticado, assim como as suas práticas, rituais e o entreolhar dos fiéis e sacerdotes de ambas as religiões envolvidas. As evidências rituais umbandistas no Cruzeiro Religioso e sua relação com algumas das práticas do catolicismo popular foram analisadas por meio de trabalho de campo que envolveu fotografias e entrevistas com fiéis católicos e umbandistas. / This master’s degree dissertation aims to make a historical and socio-anthropological analysis of the Religious Cross from their first indications in the “Caminho Novo”, in the proximities of the Town of Santo Antônio do Paraybuna, the contemporary city of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. In a long tempory period, which goes from the XVIII century until the current days, the Catholic and the Umbanda religiosities were examined in the prescribed and practiced scope, as well as their practices, rituals and the followers and priests’ exchanging glances involved in these religions. The Umbanda’s rituals evidence in the Religious Cross and its relationship with some of popular Catholicism were analyzed though field study that dealt pictures and interviews with Catholics and Umbanda followers.

Submitted by Geandra Rodrigues (geandrar@gmail.com) on 2018-05-23T15:20:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 kellyaraujorabello.pdf: 3721339 bytes, checksum: 66009dc386645d289207a69f4a2a998f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2018-05-24T17:56:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 kellyaraujorabello.pdf: 3721339 bytes, checksum: 66009dc386645d289207a69f4a2a998f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-24T17:56:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 kellyaraujorabello.pdf: 3721339 bytes, checksum: 66009dc386645d289207a69f4a2a998f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-16 / O contato entre o cristianismo europeu e as religiosidades africanas se deu anteriormente à diáspora negra, desdobrando-se em um Cristianismo Africano. No Brasil Colonial, inseriu-se ao catolicismo popular difundido pelas Irmandades religiosas negras, sobretudo em Minas Gerais, onde ainda hoje são executados os Congados e Reinados. Compreender as interfaces das experiências religiosas a partir de um estudo de caso específico, o Congado de Bela Vista de Minas, constitui-se o objetivo desta pesquisa. Apesar de uma condução cristã católica, as experiências religiosas dos congadeiros belavistanos, expressas em seus rituais e narrativas, trazem relações com elementos que extrapolam os contornos do Catolicismo Apostólico Romano. Além da busca pelo sagrado, através dos seus festejos de devoção a Nossa Senhora do Rosário, os participantes vivenciam o deslocamento de identidades individuais e coletivas. Assim, através dos trabalhos de campo, realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas, consultas às fontes primárias, descrição etnográfica e revisão bibliográfica, nesta dissertação aborda-se, principalmente, as temáticas que envolvem o sincretismo religioso e as identidades religiosas. / The contact between European Christianism and African religiosities took place prior to the African Diaspora, developing into an African Christianism. In Colonial Brazil, it was inserted into the popular Catholicism spread by the black religious Brotherhoods, most of all in Minas Gerais, where to this day the Congados and Reinados are still carried out. To understand the interfaces of the religious experiences as from a specific case study, the Congado de Bela Vista de Minas, constitutes this research’s purpose. While having a Christian Catholic guidance, the religious experiences of the congadeiros from Bela Vista, expressed in their rituals and narratives, have connections with elements that go beyond the contours of Roman Apostolic Catholicism. Additionally to the pursuit of the holy, through their festivities in devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary, the partakers experience the dislocation of individual and collective identities. Thus, through fieldworks, execution of semi-structured interviews, consults to primary sources, ethnographic description and bibliographic review, this thesis addresses, mainly, the thematic involving religious syncretism and religious identities.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study will investigate the WCC concept of 'Dialogue between Christianity and other Living Faith', and its contributions in Asia, more specifically its impact on the relationship between Christians and Muslims in Indonesia. The study will focus on an Indian theologian, Stanley J Samartha, one of the most influential figures in the promotion of this concept within the WCC. The research will entail an analysis of Samartha's views on Christian dialogue with other faiths, and a critical assessment of his work in the field of 'mission', through his publications and various WCC documents. The contextual relevance of the study is highlighted by several spheres of tensions and conflicts: a) in the global context: the clash of cultures; b) in the ecumenical world: the divide between evangelicals and ecumenical; c) in the Asian context: the tension between dialogue and mission, between gospel and context; and d) in the Indonesian context: the ongoing tension between Muslims and Christians, and the tension between 'local gospel' and the Biblical gospel. / South Africa

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / The aim of my research project is to give a theological reflection on the practice of initiation rites within Masasi district, in south-east Tanzania. While initiation remains a very significant tradition among the Yao, Makonde and Makua tribes in Masasi, the ancestral cult and the content of sex related education in these rites have presented challenges to the Christian communities. Some Christians do not feel comfortable with the inclusion of the ancestor cult since this does not immediately seem to agree with Christian doctrine. There is also a general acknowledgment that the rites could be partly responsible for the premature involvement in sexual activity by young people. In the past theological attempts were made to Christianise Masasi initiation rites with the hope of addressing these two issues highlighted above. This approach had its difficulties and limitations since not all communities in Masasi villages are Christian and since religious diversity has to be respected. Furthermore, in areas where Christianisation has been put into effect, not much change has been recorded with regards to the two main problems noted above. Christianisation simply touched on the form but did not influence the content of rites. Other theologies, especially in missionary circles, viewed initiation as an antithesis of Christianity, a view which undoubtedly discouraged constructive Christian dialogue with the practice. African theologians on the other hand seem not to have produced much systematised treatments on the subject of rites which otherwise would have been useful materials to various African Christian communities. As a result of these and other inadequacies we have a problem as far as what should be done to have the Christian faith inform the processes within the rites of passage. What kind of theology will respect the culture and yet uphold teachings of the biblical tradition in addressing cultural initiation? In this project I am proposing a theology of ‘inculturation and transformation’ to address the impasse described above. Inculturation “describes the process of integration of the faith and life of the church in a given culture” (Pobee 1992:35). The aim of inculturation is to express the Christian faith in a culturally relevant manner so as to transform the culture. Initiation rites will be made to engage with the Christian theology in such a way that the precepts of biblical theology will be applied to rites with a view to moulding those aspects of rites that are not consistent with the teachings of the Bible. The good elements already found in these rites will be maintained. The goal of inculturation is not to destroy the rites but to present the rites “in a far more perfect way on an essentially different and infinitely higher level” (Nyamiti 1971:6). Through inculturation the underlying cultural worldview behind rites is taken into account. Inculturationtransformation theology aims at addressing the inner levels of culture. For this to happen the Gospel has to go in-culture and mould it from within.September 2009

During the preliminary phase of analytical discourse on South Asia’s medieval history, the scholarship rigidly demarcated the material cultures of the pre-Islamic societies from those of the Muslim communities that were only introduced to the region’s landscapes once the Islamic political rule was established. This was done to simplify the process of examining the regional, religious, ethnic, political, and cultural disparities in the Indian subcontinent’s medieval milieu. Consequently, the exceedingly broad categories of “Muslim” and “Hindu” were conceived to portray the identities of South Asian societies and cultures. However, these categories remain in use even in the current art-historical scholarship that shows a tendency to classify the historical artifacts based on either geographic or sectarian identities. To that end, the sites developed by Muslim rulers are termed as “Islamic/Muslim,” and Hindu temples as “Indian.” Such simplistic classifications, which identify the social and material cultures with singular monolithic identities, overlook the dynamics of intercultural and interfaith interactions between the diverse co-existing communities of South Asian regions that played an active role in shaping those cultures. The Samma dynastic architecture in the vast necropolis of Makli – a UNESCO world heritage site located in the city Thatta (in present-day Sindh province of Pakistan) – presents an opportunity to examine this key methodological issue. Modern scholars classify Samma architecture under the polarities such as “Sindhi,” “Islamic,” and “Indo-Islamic.” The present research challenges these classifications to demonstrate that the overall artistic program of Samma architecture does not reflect any single culture, religion or region. In fact, it evinces a hybridization of style and character, and hence, transcends the standard categorization of architectural artifacts from South Asia. Therefore, by actively engaging with the architecture, decoration, and epigraphy, this study allows for the formulation of important conclusions on the meanings attached to the Samma dynastic architecture, which was a key medium of presenting their social, religious, political and cultural programs. Additionally, this study demonstrates where Samma monuments fit within the broader categories of artistic productions from South Asia as well as the wider Islamic world. Hence, where this research augments the overly broad and simplified classifications, it also aims to produce a more meaningful analytical framework that moves beyond visual analysis, iconography, and typology. / Graduate / 2021-11-15

The raising of the runestones occurred during a complex period related to Christianity´s establishment in Scandinavia. The breaking point between the old Nordic and Christian religion has often been treated as clear-cut. Defining a period or material culture into one or the other religion is too simple and becomes problematic when a previously established (worldview) religion has been alive and permeated throughout society. This paper aims to illustrate the complexity of this period by studying runestones in Södermanland with pagan symbols. The runestones will be examined together with their context.

Mémoire en recherche-création / Useless Magic mélange des éléments visuels variés allant de la note manuscrite au « doodling », en passant par le collage et la photographie, cohabitation d’éléments hétérogènes en appelle à une étude intermédiale susceptible de rendre justice aux interférences entre l’écrit et le pictural. L’ouvrage repose aussi sur le syncrétisme des sources d’inspiration, de manière à faire coexister une pluralité d’images servant la démarche d’autoreprésentation de Florence Welch. L’analyse thématique des réseaux de symboles visuels et textuels permet de dégager le propos d’un « je » (« I ») énonciateur qui explore des postures d’autoreprésentation au service de la figuration d’un soi sacré. Je veux la sauge le feu et toi se réapproprie la démarche intermédiale et l’idée d’un syncrétisme-hénothéiste pour décliner la figure de la sorcière comme moyen d’autoproclamer un féminin sacré et monstrueux quoique beau, symbole à la fois historique et mythique est synonyme d’empowerment féministe. Trois visages de la sorcière retiendront mon intérêt poétique et visuel : la prêtresse, l’empoisonneuse et l’enchanteresse. Elles seront réinvesties sous forme d’un carnet d’artiste, dispositif inspiré d’Useless Magic (2018) de Florence Welch. Composé de poèmes et d’images (dessins, photos, aquarelles et collages), le carnet me permettra, comme à plusieurs artistes contemporains de réécrire et redessiner la figure de la sorcière selon des enjeux d’émancipation du féminin. Il s’agira pour moi de construire, par le Verbe poétique et diverses formes d’expression visuelles, un lieu de culte propice à accueillir une invocation ensorcelante. / Useless Magic combines multiple visual elements from hand scripted notes to doodling, including collage and photography. This heterogenous combination calls for an intermedial study in order to render well the interference between the text and the visual. This book also relies on syncretism pulling together diverse sources of inspiration. By doing so, it enables the coexistence of a plurality of images which serve Florence Welch’s process of self-representation. The analysis of the themes by the intricate system of symbols will allow the clarification of self-representative postures, which will reveal how the subject expressed here is dedicated to revealing a sacred self. I Want Sage Fire and You follows a similar intermedial and syncretic approach in order to utilize the cultural figure of the witch as a way to self-proclaim a sacred and monstrous yet beautiful feminine subject. This poetry collection paints the witch as a historical and mythical figure of feminist empowerment. This figure is declined in three phases, which will be expressed poetically and visually: the priestess, the poison-mistress and the enchantress. All three will appear in the form of an artist sketchbook inspired by Useless Magic. This sketchbook will allow me to re-write, re-build and re-member the witch according to questions of feminine emancipation. This collection will use poetry and visual expressions as tools to build a temple-like space where a bewitching invocation can resonate.

This is a study of religion and popular culture with a focus on the film industry. The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to create an increased understandning of how religion can be expressed in film and contribute to an understanding of the way religious themes can be expressed in popular culture. Furthermore, the purpose of this bachelor thesis is to examine which messianic features are found in Dune's main character Paul Atreides. Additionally, how Bene Gesserit as well as fremen both contribute to the messianic concept in the film Dune (2021). Two theoretical concepts have been used in this study: Axelson's theory of the messiah-figure and religious syncretism. The method is a qualitative content analysis and to achieve the purpose of the inquiry this method will be used by examining the film Dune (2021). The messianic features of Paul Atreides will be examined with the use of Axelson's theory of the messiah-figure. The analysis shows several messianic features that emerge, Dune's main character Paul Atreides had doubts, unsure of this identity and visions as messianic features. Furthermore, Bene Gesserit has contributed to the messianic concept as the intermediator by creating the messiah. Additionally, the fremen have the function of a chosen as well as an opressed people and has contributed to the messianic concept in this way. The chosen and opressed people as an idea have been borrowed from judaism. Additionally, the idea of mahdi have been borrowed from shia islam which is a concept about a messiah who will return to earth and create justice. These two concepts from judaism and shia islam shows different features from religion that has been expressed in the film Dune (2021).

Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad Humayun (1508-1556), simply known as Humayun, was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire in India. He is often known with a discredited image in history even though recent investigations show a new, different, and regenerated perspective about him. This reconsideration is in relation to the philosophical, syncretic, and artistic pursuits and the spiritual heritage that he transmitted, which came to impact and define Mughal tradition and culture overall. Accordingly,  this thesis has on one hand the purpose to analyse and expose the not so much known “occult sciences” of Humayun, known as ‘ulum-i ghariba, which are defined in relation to their appliances and historical contexts, especially in relation to Sufism and Arabic Hermeticism. They are moreover explored in how they were experienced in the imperial administration of the early Mughal court. On the other hand, these “occult sciences” of Humayun are analysed and discussed in relation to the definitions of Western esotericism and practices of Renaissance Hermeticism as taught by Antoine Faivre, whose theory is employed for this thesis. The method used for this investigation combines a qualitative text analysis and a specific empirical approach with diachronic and synchronic applications. The result of this research shows that the “occult sciences” of Humayun help to define and confirm a wider study field of “comparative esotericism”, which goes beyond the borders of the Western culture, and which is found with its unique interpretations as an esoteric expression within Islam, and specifically at the dawn of the Mughal tradition.

Juan Rulfo and João Guimarães Rosa stand at a literary crossroads, the intersection where traditional regionalists and celebrated Boom-era novelists meet. Although Rulfo and Guimarães Rosa chose the Mexican Llano Grande and the Brazilian sertão of Minas Gerais as the settings of their most celebrated novels, they go far beyond the techniques of traditional regionalism by distancing themselves from their national literatures. They universalize their narratives by incorporating universal religious themes, including the symbol of the cross. The symbol of the cross/crossroad has been analyzed and alluded to in a handful of essays on Pedro Páramo and Grande sertão: Veredas but has never been applied comparatively or in depth, beyond a connection to Hermes, Greek god of the crossroads. Rulfo and Guimarães Rosa use the spatial organizing power of the cross-and by extension, the crossroad-to highlight the importance of racial and religious mixing to Mexican and Brazilian identity, determine narrative structure, and strengthen mythic, religious, and epic themes. The motif allows the reader to transcend (although not eradicate) a geographical conception of setting. Instead, the reader recognizes the construction of a mythic space that intertwines national history with primordial creation stories, modern heroes, and ancient religious symbols.