Santeria: Correcting the Myths and Uncovering the Realities of a Growing Religion

by Mary Ann Clark

Santeria, also known as Yoruba, Lukumi, or Orisha, was originally brought to the Americas from Africa by enslaved peoples destined for the Caribbean and South America. By the late 1980s it was estimated that more than 70 million African and American people participated in, or were familiar with, the various forms of Santeria, including traditional religions in Africa, Vodun in Haiti, Candomble in Brazil, Shango religion in Trinidad, Santeria in Cuba and, of course, variants of all of these in the United States. Today, there are practitioners around the world including Europe and Asia. Because of the secretive nature of the religion, it has been difficult to get accurate and objective information, but here, Clark introduces readers to the religion, explores the basic elements, including the Orisha, and answers the many questions Santeria arouses in observers and practitioners alike. Santeria was brought to the United States in two principle waves, one in the early 1960s after the Cuban Revolution and later by the Marielitos who escaped from the island in the 1980s. Since then it has spread to the larger Hispanic community, to the African American community, and to other segments of society as well. Today, practitioners can be found in every state, and interest in Orisha and related traditions has gained popularity. As the number of practitioners has grown so has public awareness. In this compelling introduction, Clark answers such questions as where did this religion come from? What do practioners believe? Is it a cult? What takes place at a ritual event? How does it view death and the afterlife? Is there ritual sacrifice? Clark, a practitioner as well as a scholar of the faith, dispels the myths that surround this religious practice, and brings readers to a better understanding of this growing faith in America.

Details

Size: 192 pages, 11 photos 1 table 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Cloth: $49.95 ISBN: 978-0-275-99079-4
Greenwood Publishing Group

What People are Saying

Clark's refreshing approach to Santería arises from a mind and heart immersed in the tradition. Yet Clark also exhibits the nuance and thoroughness any good scholar exercises in her study of a subject. Clark has written an excellent introduction for both the seeker interested in Santería personally, and the curious reader who would simply like to know more about this fascinating and timely religious tradition.
W. Michael Ashcraft,co-editor, Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America

Chock full of clear and accurate information, this book is the perfect starting place for seeker and student alike. In step-by-step chapters, Dr. Clark leads the reader toward a deeper understanding of a highly-misunderstood tradition. In addition to basic facts about the beliefs and practices of Santería we are given much good advice: what to expect at ceremonies; how to dress and act; and what things to consider for those seeking a spiritual path in the religion. Dr. Clark's excellent work is a sympathetic yet critical guide to this important religion now experiencing a renaissance in America.
Joseph M. Murphy, Professor of Theology at Georgetown University, author of Santería: African Spirits in America.

1. Introduction
2. History of the Tradition
3. Cosmology
4. The Orisha and Their Mythology
5. Destiny, Divination, and Sacrifice
6. Life, Death, and the Afterlife
7. Religious Rituals
8. Initiation Rituals
9. The Religious Family
10. Orisha Religion Today and Tomorrow
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography

About the Author

Mary Ann Clark is both a scholar and practitioner of Santeria. In addition to teaching in the Religious Studies Program at University of Houston and the School of Human Sciences and Humanities at the University of Houston Clear Lake, she is the coordinator for the Council of Societies for the Study of Religion. She is the author of Where Men are Wives and Mothers Rule: Santeria Ritual Practices and Their Gender Implications as well as several article, book chapters, and book reviews. (Click for complete vita).

Other Works

“Santeria” in Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America. Eds Eugene V. Gallagher and W. Michael Ashcraft . Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. 2006.
Where Men are Wives and Mothers Rule: Santeria Ritual Practices and Their Gender Implications. 2005. Univeristy Press of Florida.
"Godparenthood in the Afro-Cuban Religious Tradition of Santería," Journal of Religious Studies and Theology 22:1 (2003): 45-62.
"You Are (Not) Shango: Jungian Archetypes in Contemporary Santería." Wadabagei. A Journal of the Caribbean and its Diaspora. (1 2002): 105–135).
"¡No Hay Ningun Santo Aqui! (There are No Saints Here!): Symbolic Language within Santería." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 69 (1 2001): 21-41.
"Orisha Worship Communities: A Reconsideration of Organizational Structure," Religion, an Academic Press Journal, 30 (4 2000): 379-389.
"Santería and Voudon." In The Encyclopedia of New York State, Peter Eisenstadt. Albany, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2002.
"Santería, Material Culture." In Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions, edited by S. D. Glazier. New York: Routledge, 2000.
"Seven African Powers: Hybridity and Appropriation" in The Material History of American Religion Project on-line Electronic Journal.
"Santería." In Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities: A Sociological Analysis, edited by William W. Zellner and Marc Petrowski, 118-130. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1998.