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Hierarchy Without a Head: Observations on Changes in the Social Organization of Some Afroamerican Religions in the United States, 1959-1999 With Special Reference to Santeria

George Brandon
p. 151-174

Abstracts

This paper is concerned with the social organization of Santeria, as well as some related Afro-American religions observed on the eastern coast of the United States. The author specifies several levels of context and analysis and, as the result of two decades of fieldwork, is able to provide a description of Santeria social organization at the local, regional, national, and international levels as well as over the course of time. The author finds that the social organization of Santeria is best understood as a reticulate network that overlaps at times with the social organizations of some other religious groups. Paradoxically, Santeria is strongly hierarchical at the local level, yet largely acephalous at higher more inclusive levels than the local. The data presented here indicate how and why such a structure is significant in the constitution and maintenance of this religious system; how the structure has changed and grown over time; and the direction in which it seems to be evolving, and evolution marked by variability, and differing rates of change and involvement in movement-like activities.

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References

Bibliographical reference

George Brandon, « Hierarchy Without a Head: Observations on Changes in the Social Organization of Some Afroamerican Religions in the United States, 1959-1999 With Special Reference to Santeria », Archives de sciences sociales des religions, 117 | 2002, 151-174.

Electronic reference

George Brandon, « Hierarchy Without a Head: Observations on Changes in the Social Organization of Some Afroamerican Religions in the United States, 1959-1999 With Special Reference to Santeria », Archives de sciences sociales des religions [Online], 117 | janvier - mars 2002, Online since 18 November 2005, connection on 28 March 2024. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/assr/2491 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/assr.2491

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About the author

George Brandon

City University of New York Medical School, Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education-New York

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Copyright

The text only may be used under licence © Archives de sciences sociales des religions. All other elements (illustrations, imported files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.

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