Living Santería
Rituals and Experiences in an Afro-Cuban Religion
Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Other Practices, Ethnic & Tribal, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Caribbean & West Indian, Reference, Ritual & Practices
| Author: | Michael Atwood Mason | ISBN: | 9781588345486 |
| Publisher: | Smithsonian | Publication: | June 21, 2016 |
| Imprint: | Smithsonian Books | Language: | English |
| Author: | Michael Atwood Mason |
| ISBN: | 9781588345486 |
| Publisher: | Smithsonian |
| Publication: | June 21, 2016 |
| Imprint: | Smithsonian Books |
| Language: | English |
In 1992 Smithsonian anthropologist Michael Atwood Mason traveled to Cuba for initiation as a priest into the Santería religion. Since then he has created an active oricha “house” and has initiated five others as priests. He is a rare combination: a scholar-practitioner who is equally fluent in his profession and his religion. Interweaving his roles as researcher and priest, Mason explores Santería as a contemporary phenomenon and offers an understanding of its complexity through his own experiences and those of its many practitioners. Balancing deftly between a devotee's account of participation and an anthropologist's theoretical analysis, Living Santería offers an original and insightful understanding of this growing religious tradition.
In 1992 Smithsonian anthropologist Michael Atwood Mason traveled to Cuba for initiation as a priest into the Santería religion. Since then he has created an active oricha “house” and has initiated five others as priests. He is a rare combination: a scholar-practitioner who is equally fluent in his profession and his religion. Interweaving his roles as researcher and priest, Mason explores Santería as a contemporary phenomenon and offers an understanding of its complexity through his own experiences and those of its many practitioners. Balancing deftly between a devotee's account of participation and an anthropologist's theoretical analysis, Living Santería offers an original and insightful understanding of this growing religious tradition.
