Laura de Mello e Souza originally wrote “The Devil and the Land of the Holy Cross” as her dissertation in 1985. The book is a study throughout the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries about sorcery in colonial Brazil. During her research, a new matter became evident to de Mello e Souza: the colonials current religion. The people’s religion was said to be a collaborate mixing of European, Indian, and African cultures, and de Mello e Souza provides plenty of primary sources, particularly records from the Inquisition, to reinforce her claim about the syncretic relationship between the three cultures. De Mello e Souza addresses the mixing of the three cultures by using the word syncretism throughout the book. She explains that Brazilian popular culture
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At first, they saw Brazil as a sort of Eden, metaphorically speaking. Brazil was beautiful in a natural way. It was almost a heaven on Earth according to Europeans. Most Europeans even thought of Brazil as an extension of Europe because of how perfect it was. As time progressed and Brazil was being colonized, Europeans began viewing Brazil in a more negative way. They began seeing Brazil as a hell because of its people. The existence of cannibalism and witchcraft along with slavery were all such negative images that portrayed a hell for many Europeans at the time. African slavery was also introduced as Brazil was being colonized. By the eighteenth century, most Europeans saw Brazil and said it resembled a “giant Inferno.” The Portuguese saw Brazil as both a heaven and a hell at one point, but de Mello E Souza used the metaphor of purgatory when it comes to describing the colonial condition of Brazil. Purgatory is known to be the place that falls in between heaven and hell. It is a place where people are believed to go to repent for sins that they committed while on Earth before they go to either heaven or hell. De Mello e Souza states that Brazil was either an Eden or a Hell but it varied according to different people. In other words, it was different for everybody. For example, it was a purgatory for the whites and an evident hell for slaves. The purging of souls was put into comparison with the purification of sugar. When it came to comparing the …show more content…
De Mello e Souza puts certain practices among these two categories and states that the elite helped shaped what is known as popular culture. She focuses on the Inquisition, when the modern church was pursuing control of the pagan world. The Inquisition became involved in matters when problems of blasphemy, symbols of faith, and certain beliefs about certain saints came into question by officials. Along with that, the church’s overall battle against sorcery. De Mello e Souza adds that sorcery was an outcome of both the elite and the popular culture. Demons and magic became known as forces that helped get rid of men. An example that de Mello e Souza uses is the image of the witch. She says that the image of the witch was purposely created in order to get rid of its role in sorcery. Almost as if the goal was to ridicule it to get rid of it. The final section’s structure is a reflection of the idea of reciprocity that the author uses throughout the book. De Mello e Souza’s understanding of the Inquisition as the part where elite and popular culture crossed paths is the framework used for her conclusion that the popular religion is the ignorant
At first, they saw Brazil as a sort of Eden, metaphorically speaking. Brazil was beautiful in a natural way. It was almost a heaven on Earth according to Europeans. Most Europeans even thought of Brazil as an extension of Europe because of how perfect it was. As time progressed and Brazil was being colonized, Europeans began viewing Brazil in a more negative way. They began seeing Brazil as a hell because of its people. The existence of cannibalism and witchcraft along with slavery were all such negative images that portrayed a hell for many Europeans at the time. African slavery was also introduced as Brazil was being colonized. By the eighteenth century, most Europeans saw Brazil and said it resembled a “giant Inferno.” The Portuguese saw Brazil as both a heaven and a hell at one point, but de Mello E Souza used the metaphor of purgatory when it comes to describing the colonial condition of Brazil. Purgatory is known to be the place that falls in between heaven and hell. It is a place where people are believed to go to repent for sins that they committed while on Earth before they go to either heaven or hell. De Mello e Souza states that Brazil was either an Eden or a Hell but it varied according to different people. In other words, it was different for everybody. For example, it was a purgatory for the whites and an evident hell for slaves. The purging of souls was put into comparison with the purification of sugar. When it came to comparing the …show more content…
De Mello e Souza puts certain practices among these two categories and states that the elite helped shaped what is known as popular culture. She focuses on the Inquisition, when the modern church was pursuing control of the pagan world. The Inquisition became involved in matters when problems of blasphemy, symbols of faith, and certain beliefs about certain saints came into question by officials. Along with that, the church’s overall battle against sorcery. De Mello e Souza adds that sorcery was an outcome of both the elite and the popular culture. Demons and magic became known as forces that helped get rid of men. An example that de Mello e Souza uses is the image of the witch. She says that the image of the witch was purposely created in order to get rid of its role in sorcery. Almost as if the goal was to ridicule it to get rid of it. The final section’s structure is a reflection of the idea of reciprocity that the author uses throughout the book. De Mello e Souza’s understanding of the Inquisition as the part where elite and popular culture crossed paths is the framework used for her conclusion that the popular religion is the ignorant