Sincretism in Latin American Culture 4206-FS130
1. Historical background of syncretism
2. Christian sanctuaries and other sacred places (syncretism of cults, cultural context of pilgrimages)
3. The idea of life and death, the day of the dead in Mexico and in the Andean region (integrated syncretism)
4. Beliefs and ceremonies of Wixárika Indians of Mexico – Catholicism and the cult of peyotl (parallel syncretism)
5. Ritual agrarian cycles in the Indian communities of Mexico
6. The cult of Mother Earth in the Andean countries – ceremonies and their symbolism
7. From birth to death – the rites of passage in Mexico, Guatemala and Andean countries
8. The institution of godparents and their role in shaping the social bonds
9. The adaptation of Indian beliefs and rituals to Christianity and the calendar of Catholic and national holidays (the Holy Week, Yawar Fiesta, Quollur Rit’i et al.)
10. The healing of body and soul in the Indian and mestizo communities of Mexico and the Andean region. The role of traditional medicine.
11. Afro-Latin American religions and ancestor worship in the Caribbean region (Vodou, Santería, Palo Monte)
12. The cult of images and popular heroes (santos populares, sacralization of historical figures)
13. The influence of tourism on preserving Indian rituals, including elements of ceremonies (Indian and popular) to state celebrations; the role of folklore festivals
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
Acquiring knowledge about crucial for Latin American societies spheres of life will enable anyone to participate in this area of reality. Understanding its complex structure and its ability to adapt to changing conditions will help to observe and analyze these phenomena.
Assessment criteria
test – open descriptive questions
Bibliography
Obligatory literature:
1. Eliade M., Mity, sny i misteria, Wyd. KR, Warszawa 1999
2. Gawrycki M.F. (red), Dzieje kultury latynoamerykańskiej, PWN, Warszawa 2009
3. Maisonneuve J., Rytuały dawne i współczesne, GWP, Gdańsk 1995
4. Randall R., Qoyllur Rit’i, an Inca Fiesta of the Pleiades: Reflections on Time & Space in the Andean World, [w:] Bulletin de l’Institute Français d’Etudes Andines, 11 (1-2), str. 37-81, Lima 1982
5. Staszczak Z. (red), Słownik antropologiczny – terminy ogólne, PWN, Warszawa-Poznań 1987
Additional literature:
1. Berg van den H., La tierra no da asi nomás: los ritos agricolas en la religion de los aymara-cristianos, UCB, La Paz 1990
2. Frankowska M., Sanktuaria i pielgrzymki – ich rola w procesie ewangelizacji Indian Meksyku oraz kształtowania się miejscowego synkretyzmu religijnego, [w:] „Etnografia Polska”. t. XXX, z. 2, PWN, Wrocław 1986
3. Frankowska M., Z badań nad ludowym synkretyzmem religijnym w Meksyku – tradycyjne obchody zaduszkowe, [w:] „Etnografia Polska”. t. XXII, z. 1, Wrocław 1978
4. Rostworowski M., Pachacamac and El Señor de los Milagros, [w:] E. Hill Boone, T. Cummins eds., Native Traditions in the Postconquest World, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C. 1998
5. Szemiński J., Ziółkowski M., Mity, rytuały i polityka Inków, PWN, Warszawa 2006
6. Walendowska B., Afrochrześcijańskie religie Antyli, UAM, Poznań 1978
Literatura przedmiotu będzie dostępna na DVD (skany jpg i pliki pdf).
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: