Faith and crime in the construction of social coexistence in the outskirts of São Paulo

This article discusses the coexistence of two seemingly disparate phenomena in the same urban environment, Pentecostalism and organised crime and violence. Both represent expressions of social living and identity formation in the outskirts of the metropolises. In these neighbourhoods, to be Pentecos...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Abumanssur, Edin Sued (Author)
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage 2015
In: Social compass
Year: 2015, Volume: 62, Issue: 3, Pages: 396-411
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B State / Organized crime / Pentecostal churches
IxTheo Classification:KBR Latin America
KDG Free church
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:This article discusses the coexistence of two seemingly disparate phenomena in the same urban environment, Pentecostalism and organised crime and violence. Both represent expressions of social living and identity formation in the outskirts of the metropolises. In these neighbourhoods, to be Pentecostal is a lifestyle choice that does not necessarily preclude participation in a criminal organisation called Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC; First Command of the Capital). The article first reviews studies dealing with the different ways in which religion and violence create interfaces in the daily lives of residents of the communities and then presents empirical observations of a Pentecostal community that has among its members one of the local leaders of the PCC. The study concludes that we are facing a new, unclassified Pentecostal phenomenon. This suggests the inadequacy or failure of the traditional concept of conversion in the face of the nature of religious affiliations in the outskirts of São Paulo.
ISSN:0037-7686
Contains:In: Social compass
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0037768615587843