Religion and Society in Latin America: Interpretative Essays from Conquest to Present

Abstract

There are few one-volume introductions to Latin American religion that cover the last five centuries. In recent decades, a rapidly growing number of scholars have written specialized studies in the field, and as a result of this development there are also some good monographs and collections of essays that might serve as introductions for students and others. However, most of them focus on a more limited time period. Suffice it to mention The Church in Colonial Latin America (2000), edited by John F. Schwaller; On Earth as It Is in Heaven: Religion in Modern Latin America (2000), edited by Virginia Garrard-Burnett; and, more recently, Justo L. González and Ondina E. González’s Christianity in Latin America: A History (2007). The latter covers both colonial and modern times.In the 14 chapters of Religion and Society in Latin America, 18 specialists approach the topic from a number of angles, chronologically reaching from the early years of the conquest to our time. The part on the colonial era includes chapters on the Spanish expansion in the Indies and its relation to Christian missions, on the limits of the “spiritual conquest,” and on the early missionaries’ understanding and documentation of native cultures and languages. Not only indigenous inhabitants but also people of Spanish, Portuguese, and African descent are included, as well as institutions such as convents, religious confraternities, and the Holy Office of the Inquisition. For the colonial era, the authors’ focus on the Catholic Church is inevitable, but later the religious situation has become more complex. These developments are presented in the book. During the national era the almost total religious monopoly of the Catholic Church was challenged both by Liberal governments and by different branches of Protestantism. Three chapters discuss Protestant and Pentecostal presence and growth. The Catholic Church has of course remained an influential religious factor, and the book ends with chapters on Liberation theology and on other developments after Vatican II. In the book, “religion” is basically equivalent with Christianity, though Brazilian Umbanda is the topic of one chapter.In an introductory volume like this one, contributors inevitably have to exclude a number of interesting topics. For a reviewer it is always easy to criticize such omissions. In my view it would have been interesting to get a more detailed introduction to the heterogeneous religious scene in contemporary Latin America, including for example the presence of other religious groups such as Buddhists and Muslims, or complex phenomena such as double religious participation or affiliation, not to forget the current processes of secularization. Both Spanish and Portuguese America are covered but with a focus on Mexico, Peru, and Brazil, while Central America and the Caribbean are almost absent. Although somewhat beyond the scope of the book, it would have been interesting to make comparisons between the English- and French-speaking Caribbean and the multi-religious Guayanas. Still, the number of themes studied and their geographical, chronological, and thematic breadth is impressive.Religion and Society in Latin America is destined for undergraduate students who want a soundly based, accessible introduction. The editors’ aim was that all contributors should write “clear prose, devoid of jargon” (p. 3). Without any doubt this goal is fulfilled, and technical terms are explained throughout. Although the book is a collection of essays, the style is very consistent and the editors and authors have done an excellent job to avoid overlapping.Thanks to the many references, students have a guide to specialized, recent literature in the field. The target group of the book might explain why the vast majority of the references are to English-language (mostly US) books and articles, a fact that otherwise would have been somewhat questionable. According to the editors the book should be used as a companion volume to their Religion in Latin America: A Documentary History (2006), which is a collection of key documents. That makes a lot of sense, and with the two books readers are well equipped to pursue their studies.Apart from undergraduates, the book can be read by others who want an introduction that escapes the simplifications and errors found in many, even recent, textbooks on general church history or history of religions. While researchers specializing in Latin American religion will not encounter too many new things, those not focusing on religious issues will find the book an excellent and consistent overview of up-to-date research.