The Church of Santo Daime was born in the 1930s around the consumption of the brew known as ayahuasca. The religion was forged in the encounter among three distinct groups and religions in Brazil: the ancient indigenous religions that had long used ayahuasca for religious and healing practices; African Brazilian religions (such as Candomblé and Umbanda); and Catholicism (the religion spread across Brazil during Portuguese colonization). In recent decades, the brew has also attracted the interest of biomedical researchers in Brazil and far beyond, particularly regarding the healing powers of ayahuasca. This lecture will discuss the “the religious protocol” for healing in the Church of Santo Daime: how it happens, the role of music, visionary and auditory experiences, and the communal setting.
Larissa Carneiro is an instructor in the Religious Studies Department at Duke University. Her recent scholarship focuses on the intersection of religion, technology, and science – exploring how scientific and technological progress has affected religious practices, discourses, and beliefs and vice-versa. At Duke, she currently teaches the courses Psychedelic Religions, Harry Potter and Religion, Neopaganism and Witchcraft, Sci-Fi and Religion, and Sport and Religion. Lately, she has been conducting ethnographic work with religions that use psychoactive substances for healing and communicating with the world of spirits and deities.
Bookings
Bookings are closed for this event.