Investigating the syncretism of Catholicism and voodoo in New Orleans
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Authors
Maranise, Anthony M. J.
Issue Date
2012
Type
Journal Article
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Abstract
This paper discusses the syncretism of both Catholicism and Voodoo in New Orleans and explains how the adaptable Catholicism of New Orleans provides ample support for the growth rather than repression of Voodoo. Among the shared elements between Catholicism and Voodoo that permit syncretism, I discuss three means which scholarship and my own field research in New Orleans continuously reaffirm: the reliance on ritual to facilitate liturgical practices, the veneration of lesser intermediaries, and a desire for intimate union with the divine. An examination of the elements that permit syncretism lead to a conclusion that the presence of Voodoo in New Orleans is as a direct result from syncretism with Catholicism and that Catholicism in New Orleans actually serves as an assistance to the continuation of Voodoo rather than an impediment.
Description
Citation
Maranise, Anthony M. J. (2012), Investigating the syncretism of Catholicism and voodoo in New Orleans. Journal of Religion & Society, 14.
Publisher
Rabbi Myer and Dorothy Kripke Center, Creighton University
License
The journal is open-access and freely allows users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of all published material for personal or academic purposes.
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DOI
ISSN
1522-5658