Religion in the Kitchen - Cooking, Talking, and the Making of Black Atlantic Traditions (Paperback)

Honorable Mention, 2019 Barbara T. Christian Literary Award, given by the Caribbean Studies Association Winner, 2017 Clifford Geertz Prize in the Anthropology of Religion, presented by the Society for the Anthropology of Religion section of the American Anthropological Association Finalist, 2017 Albert J. Raboteau Prize for the Best Book in Africana Religions presented by the Journal of Africana Religions An examination of the religious importance of food among Caribbean and Latin American communities Before honey can be offered to the Afro-Cuban deity Ochun, it must be tasted, to prove to her that it is good. In African-inspired religions throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States, such gestures instill the attitudes that turn participants into practitioners. Acquiring deep knowledge of the diets of the gods and ancestors constructs adherents' identities; to learn to fix the gods' favorite dishes is to be "seasoned" into their service. In this innovative work, Elizabeth Perez reveals how seemingly trivial "micropractices" such as the preparation of sacred foods, are complex rituals in their own right. Drawing on years of ethnographic research in Chicago among practitioners of Lucumi, the transnational tradition popularly known as Santeria, Perez focuses on the behind-the-scenes work of the primarily women and gay men responsible for feeding the gods. She reveals how cooking and talking around the kitchen table have played vital socializing roles in Black Atlantic religions. Entering the world of divine desires and the varied flavors that speak to them, this volume takes a fresh approach to the anthropology of religion. Its richly textured portrait of a predominantly African-American Lucumi community reconceptualizes race, gender, sexuality, and affect in the formation of religious identity, proposing that every religion coalesces and sustains itself through its own secret recipe of micropractices.

General

Imprint:	New York University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	North American Religions
Release date:	February 2016
Authors:	Elizabeth Perez
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 23mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade / Trade
Pages:	320
ISBN-13:	978-1-4798-3955-1
Categories:	Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Christian life & practice > General Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Worship > General Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Anthropology > Social & cultural anthropology > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Worship > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian life & practice > General Books > Christianity > Christian life & practice
LSN:	1-4798-3955-8
Barcode:	9781479839551

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!