Afro-Brazilian Spaces of Worship: Late Nineteenth Century Archaeological Findings from Salvador, Bahia
Author(s): Samuel L. Gordenstein
Year: 2018
Summary
This paper discusses the transformation of domestic living quarters into spaces of Afro-religious worship in Salvador, Brazil, during the late nineteenth century. This is accomplished through the presentation of historical sources that demonstrate the pervasiveness of this phenomenon, and especially, analysis of spatial and artifactual data unearthed during archaeological excavations in a house basement. The study uses historical, ethnohistorical and ethnographic analogies with present day Candomblé,the religion formed primarily by African slaves and their descendants in Brazil, to suggest continuities in some ritual practices, and argues that despite police repression, these spaces of worship, largely overlooked by contemporary historiography, flourished in the crowded city blocks.
Cite this Record
Afro-Brazilian Spaces of Worship: Late Nineteenth Century Archaeological Findings from Salvador, Bahia. Samuel L. Gordenstein. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018 ( tDAR id: 441501)
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Keywords
General
African Diaspora
•
Brazilian Candomblé
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Urban Archaeology
Geographic Keywords
Brazil
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South America
Temporal Keywords
Late Nineteenth Century
Spatial Coverage
min long: -74.005; min lat: -33.741 ; max long: -34.793; max lat: 5.246 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 171