Abstract: This article revisits three works by the Brazilian anthropologist Patricia Birman, written in the 1990s, highlighting her significance for understanding social changes that - over two decades later - influence representations of cordiality and violence in Brazilian society. Through empirical evidence and engaging explanatory connections, the revisited works allow us to observe the daily experiences of the faithful; endeavors of religious authorities; and the reproduction of social inequalities through the identification of the “nation’s ailment.” This article aims to honor Patricia Birman by inquiring how the boundaries between beliefs and religious rituals are (re)moved, as well as the boundaries between religion and politics in Brazil and between religions in Brazil and what is observed elsewhere in the world.
Keywords:
Religion; Policy; Nation; Cordiality; Violence