Transforming the future in Brazil: ritual and indigenous agencies

Research summary

The project examines indigenous and Afro-American peoples’ ways to create new cognitive models for producing power. People from these backgrounds have been active in designing new education systems, engaging in politics, and creating new religious intersubjectivity in Latin America. We stress a ‘not-yet’ consciousness, modes of attention to the fact that something has still to happen or become. The proposed project focuses on agency constructions in different social, cultural, religious, and political contexts and the ideas of imagined (home)places and spaces based on indigenousness, ethnicity, and religion as they may affect people’s future transformation. We examine agencies including both human and non-human subjects. The global influences, technology, new contacts, new knowledge, and state policies are important factors in creative processes the actors can use for their agency construction.

Description

Research info

Research title
Transforming the future in Brazil: ritual and indigenous agencies

Research timeline
1.1.2014 - 1.12.2016

Keywords
Afro Americans Afro Brazilians agency future hope indigenous people politics religion rituals

Region
Latin America

Countries
Brazil, Finland

Institution
Helsinki University
Department of World Cultures
Helsinki, Finland

Head of research
Pirjo Virtanen

Research team
Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen, Eleonora Riviello, Anna Vohlonen

Contact information
Pirjo Virtanen
pirjo.virtanen@helsinki.fi

Record last updated
9.1.2014