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Details for article 11 of 12 found articles
| Title: |
Spiritists versus spirit-mongers: Julia Vázquez and the struggle for progress in 1920s Puerto Rico |
| Author: |
Reinaldo L. Román |
| Appeared in: |
Centro journal |
| Paging: | Volume 14 (2002) nr. 2 pages 27-47 |
| Year: |
2002 |
| Contents: |
In 1922 thousands found their way to a barrio in San Lorenzo, where Julia Vázquez, better known as La Samaritana, dispensed magnetized water and healed the sick. Vázquez¿s ascent was cause for a heated polemic regarding the state of Puerto Rican culture. Spiritist leaders claimed Vázquez as an agent for progress. Men of science and a Spiritist faction denounced her as an espiritera who promoted superstition. This article re-constructs the debates to show that Vázquez´s hydrotherapy was neither traditionalist nor a corruption of learned Spiritism. Instead, she operated within an economy of affliction that accommodated modern medicine and appealed to multiple religious constituencies. The distinctions between espiritistas and espiriteros were not self-evident; to constitute them, Vázquez´s critics depended on a hierarchy of races and souls. Along route, this essay offers a critique of syncretism as usually applied to Spiritism and considers whether La Samaritana´s emergence responded to crises in rural Puerto Rico. |
| Publisher: |
The City University of New York (provided by DOAJ) |
| Source file: |
Elektronische Wetenschappelijke Tijdschriften |
Details for article 11 of 12 found articles
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