Seminars

Migration flows can favour religious participation as well as the spread of religions and transnational processes. In fact, religions can be a resource and a dynamic space for transnational migrants to reconfigure belonging, well-being and a “home” in a context of uncertainty, marginalisation and adversity. In Japan, Afro-Brazilian religions – particularly Umbanda and Quimbanda – spread and evolved with the arrival of Brazilian immigrants and transnational processes of flows of people, spirits, materialities, worldviews, values and affections. After coming to Japan, many Brazilians start practicing Afro-Brazilian religions or deepen their adherence, frequently motivated by a desire for support, healing, meaning, affection, and a caring community. The majority of Brazilian migrants in Japan are Japanese descendants and their families who came for economic reasons with the intention of returning to Brazil in the near future. However, many of them end up extending their stay or starting a “circular migration” process. They frequently deal with difficulties of adaptation, downward social mobility, economic problems, ongoing extensions of their plans to return to Brazil, lack of affection, family separation, loneliness, and uncertainty. In this scenario, Afro-Brazilian religions offer a caring and healing space, through relationships within the religious community and with the spiritual world, a worldview that allows to face suffering and hardships, the guidance of embodied spirits, and a variety of “affective technologies” such as rituals, prayers, chants, images and herbal baths. Focussing on the lived experiences of the practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions in Japan, I analyse how Afro-Brazilian religions help people build meaningful relationships and networks of support; find a sense of “home” and a purpose in life; receive emotional support and a way to cope with anxiety and better adjust to the context of migration. I also look at how they provide meaning, healing, guidance, and support for traumas, everyday struggles, and the prorogation of life plans.