Meanings of religious work in contexts marked by violence: a study in a complex of shantytowns in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the meanings of religious work in the prevention of violence and in the recovery of people involved in illicit acts in a complex of shantytowns in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The activities of religious entities in the territory, the view of religious leaders regarding their role and that of their church, and the representations of the territory and of the people who commit violent acts were analyzed. Using a qualitative approach, participant observation and interviews of religious leaders and "converts" were conducted between 2010 and 2012. The resulting narratives were treated using enunciation analysis. The leaders emphasize the importance of their churches' actions in violent and precarious areas, while the "converts" highlight the role of evangelization in their religious conversion. However, the relationships between religion and violence are complex, involving various types of trajectories and behaviors; in this way, the strength of religious support in the conversion process is both highlighted and questioned. The text concludes that churches' actions tend to be palliative and focused on the individual and therefore do little to transform reality, with the church potentially taking on roles of social control and pacification.