‘Making the saint’: gift, initiation and historicity in AfroBrazilian religions

Abstract

In the Afro-Brazilianist tradition, the description of initiation into candomblé is a crucial plank in the argument for the authenticity of the African religious tradition in Brazil. Critics of this literature have questioned the discourse of authenticity, but few have sought to go beyond that critique. This article sets out to examine the way Afro-Brazilian religions incorporate history in their rituals. In order to grasp the historicity of these rituals, one needs to understand how Afro-Brazilian religions are the product of a dialectical relationship between initiation and gift, the reproduction of tradition and the ability of mediums to incorporate new spirits.