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Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.
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Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 December 2019) | Viewed by 47338

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Gustavo Morello SJ

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Sociology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
Interests: Latin America; lived religion; modernity; Catholicism; political sociology; religious pluralization; secularization

Special Issue Information

Studies about religion in Latin America have been growing in recent years (Morello, Romero, Rabbia, De Costa 2017; De la Torre and Martin 2017). However, they tend to be either historical research or about theoretical issues. In other cases, even when the research is based on empirical current data, the articles are missing the connection with the broader Latin American religious situation. In this special issue, we are inviting colleagues to submit empirical based papers on current topics, that explicitly contribute to paint the broader picture of Latin Americans religiosity at home and abroad.

Dear Colleagues,

As you surely know for your work on the field of ‘religion and Latin America’, there is an ongoing debate about a theoretical model that permits understand the religious live of the continent. While some scholars will frame the discussion either with the Secularization theory or the Rational choice, others prefer ‘Popular Religiosity’ as a construct more suitable to name the particularities of the religious situation among Latinos in Latin America and abroad.

That discussions have placed the emphasis on religious institutions, assuming that people practice what the institutions requires. Other times, articles focused on a case study have had difficulties to apply the ‘sociological imagination’ (Mills), that is to explain why studying a particular situation (from any theoretical framework) is important to understand Latin American religiosity. Studies that deal with a ‘story’ have had some problems link it to Latin American religious ‘history’. Usually articles lack of references of any literature written in a language other than the one of the paper.

This is invitation is for you to consider writing a paper on Latin America of about Latin@s contemporary religious situation. To fulfill the aforementioned gaps, papers should focus on current issues, even when they might have a historical introduction of the case for a wider readership. (I expect that contextual element does not go beyond 1,000 words). The paper should be based on empirical research. I am not naïve about ‘empirical data’, I understand we built our data based on theoretical preferences. However, I do think we need more empirically based analysis to understand what is going on in the Latin American religious field. It can be about any religious traditions, employ any methodological approach (qualitative, quantitative, mix methods), any analytical level (individuals, communities, institutions) and about any intersection, like in ‘religion and…’ (gender, race, politics, mass media, work, education, et cetera). Finally, I hope you can explicitly make the case connecting your specific study with the broader picture: how is your research relevant to the knowledge of Latin Americans’ religiosity? What knowledge does it bring to the discussion?

If you agree to participate in this special issue, I ask you please to send us a tentative title by January 30, 2017 and an abstract by March 1, 2018. The article can be coauthored with your colleagues. When you send the abstract, please make explicit the questions that you will try to answer or the hypothesis you plan to explore. Also explain the methodologies you’re going to use to answer your questions/hypothesis. The deadline for the paper is December 1st 2019. However, if possible I’d like to have a draft version by July 1st, 2019 so I can work on an introduction that discusses the articles of the special issue.

Prof. Dr. Gustavo Morello SJ
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Religiosity
  • Secularization
  • Gender
  • Pluralism
  • Lived Religion
  • Violence
  • Social Movements
  • Social Forces
  • Embodiment
  • Materiality
  • Participation
  • Membership
  • State
  • Politics

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Editorial

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13 pages, 266 KiB  
Editorial
Why Study Religion from a Latin American Sociological Perspective? An Introduction to Religions Issue, “Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos Abroad”
by Gustavo Morello
Religions 2019, 10(6), 399; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10060399 - 24 Jun 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 8304
Abstract
This article introduces the Religions issue on Latin American religiosity exploring sociological perspectives on the Latin American religious situation, from a Latin American perspective. The Secularization Theory proposes “the more modernity, the less religion”, but in Latin America we see both, modernity and [...] Read more.
This article introduces the Religions issue on Latin American religiosity exploring sociological perspectives on the Latin American religious situation, from a Latin American perspective. The Secularization Theory proposes “the more modernity, the less religion”, but in Latin America we see both, modernity and religiosity. The Religious Economy model, on the other hand, affirms “the more pluralization, the more religion”, but in Latin America there is not so much pluralization, and it is not easy to switch from one religion to other. Finally, the article presents a Latin American model, the “popular religiosity” one. The problem with it, is that it is mostly ‘Catholic,’ and so does not account for the growing religious diversity in the region. It also emphasizes the “popular” aspect, excluding middle socioeconomic status individuals and elites, assuming they practice “real” religion. This introduction presents a critical approach as a way to recover, describe, and understand Latin American religious practices. This methodology might be a path to creating sociological categories to understand religion beyond the north Atlantic world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

25 pages, 505 KiB  
Article
Latin American Christians Living in the Basque Country (Spain): What Remains and What Changes
by Lidia Rodríguez, Luzio Uriarte and Iziar Basterretxea
Religions 2020, 11(2), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11020084 - 12 Feb 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3634
Abstract
The research we will present is based on interviews conducted with the Latin American immigrant population and the indigenous population of the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC hereafter). We seek to identify religious features tracing similarities and differences between three populations: First, the native [...] Read more.
The research we will present is based on interviews conducted with the Latin American immigrant population and the indigenous population of the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC hereafter). We seek to identify religious features tracing similarities and differences between three populations: First, the native community of the BAC, second, Latin American immigrants living in the BAC, and third, Latin Americans in their home countries. In the latter case, we based on the research carried out by Gustavo Morello’s team. Analysis of the data obtained so far allows us to compare across two different processes in the Christian religion: On the one hand, the religious experience of Latin Americans in their countries of origin and the religious experience of Latin American immigrants in the BAC; on the other hand, between the latter community and the native population. This paper highlights conclusions referring: (1) The similarities in two significant processes, i.e., religious pluralism and religious autonomy; (2) the differences on religious hybridization, public presence and the use of religious artefacts. In short, it is a contribution to a better understanding of the effects produced on religious experiences in a context marked by secularization and religious pluralism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.)
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13 pages, 240 KiB  
Article
Non-Affiliated Believers and Atheists in the Very Secular Uruguay
by Nestor Da Costa
Religions 2020, 11(1), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11010050 - 19 Jan 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4362
Abstract
In recent years, literature in the field of religion has presented attempts to understand and characterize people who define themselves as believers but are not affiliated with any religious institution, along with those who define themselves as non-believers, or “nones”. Several quantitative studies [...] Read more.
In recent years, literature in the field of religion has presented attempts to understand and characterize people who define themselves as believers but are not affiliated with any religious institution, along with those who define themselves as non-believers, or “nones”. Several quantitative studies covering this phenomenon in Latin America show clear disparities between the countries of the region. This article draws on a qualitative investigation into the way in which individuals relate to the transcendental, or live as non-believers, in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay. The objective of the article is to know and analyze those who define themselves as religiously unaffiliated. In doing so, the analysis takes into account the cultural framework of Uruguay—a country that moved the religion from the public to the private sphere a century ago, establishing a model similar to French secularism and unique within Latin America. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.)
14 pages, 2372 KiB  
Article
Online Martyrs: Virtual Tours of the Miguel Agustín Pro Museum, and the José Simeón Cañas Central American University Martyrs
by Marisol Lopez-Menendez
Religions 2019, 10(9), 523; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10090523 - 10 Sep 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3322
Abstract
This article examines two commemorative projects on 20th-century Jesuit martyrs turned into Internet tours. A comparison between the official online tour of the Father Pro Museum in Mexico City, and two unofficial tours through the Martyrs Memorial Hall at the José Simeón Cañas [...] Read more.
This article examines two commemorative projects on 20th-century Jesuit martyrs turned into Internet tours. A comparison between the official online tour of the Father Pro Museum in Mexico City, and two unofficial tours through the Martyrs Memorial Hall at the José Simeón Cañas Central American University in San Salvador, El Salvador, suggests paradoxes regarding a museum’s online representation and ways in which violence and martyrdom are represented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.)
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18 pages, 241 KiB  
Article
Intergenerational Ties in Latinx Protestant Congregations: Sustaining Ethnicity through Organizational and Affective Connections
by Jonathan Calvillo
Religions 2019, 10(9), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10090504 - 27 Aug 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2741
Abstract
This paper examines the persistence of intergenerational ties within Latinx Protestant Congregations (LPCs) and the implications these ties have for the persistence of LPCs as distinctly ethnic institutions. Though studies of generational transitions within ethnic congregations tend to emphasize intergenerational discontinuity, this paper [...] Read more.
This paper examines the persistence of intergenerational ties within Latinx Protestant Congregations (LPCs) and the implications these ties have for the persistence of LPCs as distinctly ethnic institutions. Though studies of generational transitions within ethnic congregations tend to emphasize intergenerational discontinuity, this paper uncovers ways that Latinx Protestants maintain intergenerational ties through LPC involvement, both within and across institutional settings. Rather than focusing on the content of intergenerational transmission, such as cultural practices, ethnic material, or explicit identity labels, this paper is concerned with a more preliminary matter of ethnic identity maintenance—the persistence of channels of transmission across generations. In particular, this paper examines how LPC organizational structures sustain cross-generational links, and how later generation Latinxs express affective ties to earlier generation Latinxs. Taking a religious ecology approach, findings are based on in-depth qualitative research conducted within six LPCs, and an informal survey of eleven additional LPCs, all located in the city of Santa Ana, California, a Latinx majority city. Findings suggest that LPCs are successfully cultivating intergenerational ties among a select group of later generation Latinxs, and that later generation Latinxs who stay connected to LPCs value these ties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.)
13 pages, 269 KiB  
Article
Immigration and Multiculturalism in Italy: The Religious Experience of the Peruvian Community in the Eternal City
by Verónica Roldán
Religions 2019, 10(8), 478; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10080478 - 14 Aug 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5201
Abstract
The present study on the religious experience of the Peruvian community in Rome belongs to the area of studies on immigration, multiculturalism, and religion in Italy. In this article, I analyze the devotion of the Peruvian community in Rome to “the Lord of [...] Read more.
The present study on the religious experience of the Peruvian community in Rome belongs to the area of studies on immigration, multiculturalism, and religion in Italy. In this article, I analyze the devotion of the Peruvian community in Rome to “the Lord of Miracles”. This pious tradition, which venerates the image of Christ crucified—painted by an Angolan slave—began in 1651 in Lima, during the Viceroyalty of Peru. Today, the sacred image is venerated in countries all over the world that host Peruvian immigrant communities that have set up branches of the Confraternity of the Lord of Miracles. I examine, in particular, the cult of el Señor de los Milagros in Rome in terms of Peruvian popular religiosity and national identity experienced within a transnational context. This essay serves two purposes: The first is to analyze the significance that this religious experience acquires in a foreign environment while maintaining links with its country of origin and its cultural traditions in a multilocal environment. The second aim is to examine the integration of the Peruvian community into Italian society, beginning with religious practice, in this case Roman Catholicism. This kind of religiosity seems not only to favor the encounter between the two cultures but also to render Italian Roman Catholicism multicultural. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.)
21 pages, 736 KiB  
Article
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal and the Catholicism That Remains: A Study of the CCR Movement in Rio de Janeiro
by Silvia Fernandes
Religions 2019, 10(6), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10060397 - 23 Jun 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5544
Abstract
There are few empirical studies on the Catholic Church’s loss of followers in the state of Rio de Janeiro and, more generally, on the decline of Catholicism in Brazil. Drawing from the Weberian theses of disenchantment and religious rationalization, this article explores the [...] Read more.
There are few empirical studies on the Catholic Church’s loss of followers in the state of Rio de Janeiro and, more generally, on the decline of Catholicism in Brazil. Drawing from the Weberian theses of disenchantment and religious rationalization, this article explores the situation of Catholicism in four municipalities in this state. Working on some strategically selected municipalities and parishes, we conducted fieldwork and in-depth interviews with Catholics who are linked to the Charismatic Renewal (CCR). Our study assesses the hypotheses that (i) the emergence of the CCR favored the process of Catholic resistance in some municipalities, and (ii) that religious adherence and deinstitutionalization are two effects of a rationalization process. The qualitative results of the study showed that charismatic prayer groups became more diluted by the expansion of the Communities of Life and Alliance (Comunidades de Vida e Aliança). Nevertheless, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal still guides the Catholic ethos in the state. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.)
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21 pages, 1145 KiB  
Article
Gender and Space during Guatemala’s Holy Week: An Ethnographic Account
by Karen Ponciano
Religions 2019, 10(2), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10020076 - 23 Jan 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3936
Abstract
At midnight of Sunday, 9 April 2017, the Sunday known as Palm Sunday during Holy Week (Semana Santa), the streets of Guatemala City were packed with parishioners, passers-by, and strollers watching the procession of Jesús Nazareno de los Milagros, “King [...] Read more.
At midnight of Sunday, 9 April 2017, the Sunday known as Palm Sunday during Holy Week (Semana Santa), the streets of Guatemala City were packed with parishioners, passers-by, and strollers watching the procession of Jesús Nazareno de los Milagros, “King of the Universe”. The procession’s itinerary takes almost eighteen hours to complete and it is one of the most popular processions among Catholics in Guatemala. What was I, a female anthropologist taking notes and pictures, doing as part of the entourage of the image of Jesus? The question is not gratuitous because this specific space, namely, the entourage itself, is reserved exclusively for male bearers, the so-called cucuruchos. This ethnographic incursion took place within the framework of an ongoing research project on the construction of gender subjectivities in urban religious spaces in Guatemala City, a project that attempts to answer larger questions on the various processes of subject formation within religious spaces. In this article, however, I will focus exclusively on the construction of gender subjectivities during the celebration of the Holy Week in Guatemala City. This paper discusses how a religious space can be analyzed as a “place of encounter” that will intensify social relations coming from beyond, and going beyond, the processional space itself. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.)
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19 pages, 376 KiB  
Article
Pentecostals, Gender Ideology and the Peace Plebiscite: Colombia 2016
by William Mauricio Beltrán and Sian Creely
Religions 2018, 9(12), 418; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9120418 - 16 Dec 2018
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 8851 | Correction
Abstract
This article examines the role of the Pentecostal Evangelical movement in the success of the ‘No’ campaign in the Colombian peace plebiscite of 2 October 2016, where Colombians voted to reject the peace agreement which had been reached between the Colombian government and [...] Read more.
This article examines the role of the Pentecostal Evangelical movement in the success of the ‘No’ campaign in the Colombian peace plebiscite of 2 October 2016, where Colombians voted to reject the peace agreement which had been reached between the Colombian government and the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC). It discusses the reasons that motivated large sectors of the Evangelical electorate to oppose the agreement, paying particular attention to the success of the argument that the agreement was contaminated with what Pentecostals termed ‘gender ideology.’ In terms of methodology, the article draws on a variety of sources, including interviews, field observation and written sources both scholarly and popular, including press and Internet articles. We track how ‘gender’ comes to be shorthand for the host of social ills with which it was associated during the debates around the Colombian peace plebiscite through use of the term ‘gender ideology’. We posit that it is the links between ‘gender’ modernity, colonialism and the development industry, its academic, value-neutral quality and its status as an isolated technical term that allow ‘gender’ to become a proxy for a wide range of social dissatisfactions. We conclude that the success of the ‘No’ campaign was possible due to the convergence of several sectors of society, particularly between the political right and a social movement which, inspired by religious values, opposed the recognition of LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) rights and the use of the term ‘gender’ in the agreements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.)
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