New Faces of God in Latin America

Abstract

This is a historically infused study of the intersection of local encounters with global religion (Christianity) in Latin America. Using a mixture of deep archival research and ethnographic methods, this book discusses how everyday people inscribe supernormal spirit power (in a variety of guises) with the ability to provide alternative sources of authority and validate “otros saberes” (other knowledges or epistemologies) in the context of specific cultures to create order and meaning in a chaotic late-capitalist universe. This work is about emerging forms of “new” Christianity in Latin America—a Christianity that is as utilitarian as it is miraculous and as quotidian as it is supernatural. It is “new” in that it is innately modern in a very specific sense, directly empowering believers with a repertoire of strategies to survive, even thrive, in a challenging and often hostile modern world.