Religion and the Consolidation of Democracy in Brazil: The Role of the Comunidades Eclesiais de Base (CEBs)
The role that the Brazilian Catholic Church has played in helping to effect Brazil's transition from military dictatorship to stable democratic polity has come under considerable scrutiny from a number of sources. Of particular interest to social scientists and religious leaders alike has been...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
1990
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| In: |
Sociological analysis
Year: 1990, Volume: 51, Issue: 2, Pages: 139-152 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | The role that the Brazilian Catholic Church has played in helping to effect Brazil's transition from military dictatorship to stable democratic polity has come under considerable scrutiny from a number of sources. Of particular interest to social scientists and religious leaders alike has been the impact of the Brazilian comunidades eclesiais de base or CEBs (usually translated as “basic Christian communities”), many of which are known to be active in the political sphere. This article evaluates the CEBs' current role in the democratization process in light of a number of recent interpretations of their essential nature and thrust. In many respects, the data, drawn from a four-year study of 22 CEBs located in Brazil's large and dynamic Archdiocese of São Paulo, show the CEBs to be maintaining an effective presence on the Brazilian political scene. Nevertheless, there is also evidence suggesting that the role of the groups is changing in such a way that the CEBs per se may fade as bona fide agents of social and political transformation. Such a change, it is held, is attributable to a multitude of factors, not the least of which are related to qualitative alterations in official Church support for CEB activation. |
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| ISSN: | 2325-7873 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Sociological analysis
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3710811 |