Pigeons at the Bedside: Lucumí Negotiations around Ritual Space in the Hospital

In the latter half of the twentieth century, south Florida became a hub of Afro-Cuban religious practice. The influx of Cuban immigrants has influenced healthcare institutions in the area. This article explores how devotees of one Afro-Cuban religion, Lucumí, popularly known as Santería, create spac...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Rainey, Eugenia (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: University of Californiarnia Press 2024
In: Nova religio
Year: 2024, Volume: 27, Issue: 3, Pages: 7-28
Further subjects:B symbolic power
B Hospice
B Afro-Cuban religion
B Magic
B South Florida
B Lucumi
B counter-hegemony
B Spiritism
B Santeria
B place / space
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:In the latter half of the twentieth century, south Florida became a hub of Afro-Cuban religious practice. The influx of Cuban immigrants has influenced healthcare institutions in the area. This article explores how devotees of one Afro-Cuban religion, Lucumí, popularly known as Santería, create space within hospitals to conduct religious rituals that facilitate the healing of patients. It argues that the creation of space for hospital rituals is a counter-hegemonic practice that can be mapped onto the relationship that Lucumí historically had to the Catholic Church, one of being both seen and unseen within this hegemonic institution. Through an analysis of the "symbolic power" embedded in language usage to create unsanctioned ritual space in the hospital, I build on Pierre Bourdieu's work by that title. In examining three types of space—secret space, talking space, and familiarity space—this article highlights the counter-hegemonic practices used to heal Lucumí patients in south Florida.
ISSN:1541-8480
Contains:Enthalten in: Nova religio
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1353/nvr.2024.a919624