Communities of the Soul: A Short History of Religion in Puerto Rico

by José E. Igartua

Overview

Religion is fundamental to contemporary Puerto Rican society. From the cosmology of the Indigenous Taíno, to the wide range of Judeo-Christian churches and sects, to the practitioners of spiritism, Afro-Caribbean religions, and witchcraft, religious practice in its many forms permeates the lives of most Puerto Ricans.

Communities of the Soul illuminates the landscape and history of religion in Puerto Rico from the beliefs and practices of the Taíno to the religious diversity of the present day. Throughout its history, religion in Puerto Rico has braided institutional forms and popular practices, yet has always been a community-based process – made by the people. When the island was under Spanish colonial rule, the formal but weak presence of Catholicism meant that Puerto Ricans cultivated their religious experiences within families and local communities as much as within the structures of the church. These communal practices continued as Puerto Ricans joined Protestant denominations – particularly evangelical Pentecostalism – after the American conquest of the island in 1898. In the second half of the twentieth century, religious diversity increased with the formation of Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as numerous local evangelical congregations. Even as Puerto Rican society becomes more cosmopolitan and diverse, popular devotions and ritualistic practices remain an important part of everyday life.

The first synthesis of the religious history of the island, Communities of the Soul is an innovative exploration of religion in Puerto Rico and the beliefs, practices, and diversity of its past and present.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780228009603
Publisher:	McGill-Queens University Press
Publication date:	01/31/2022
Series:	McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Religion , #90
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

José E. Igartua is a retired professor of history at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Table of Contents

Figures xi

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xxi

1 Life and Religion among the Taino 3

2 The Catholic Church in Spain, 16th-18th Centuries 12

3 The Catholic Church in Puerto Rico, 16th-18th Centuries 26

4 Religious Counter-Revolution in Puerto Rico, 19th Century 38

5 Challenges to Orthodoxy, 1870-1900 49

6 American Dominion, 1898-1930 58

7 Protestantism, 1898-1960 75

8 The Catholic Church and the State, 1930-70 88

9 Varieties of Monotheism: Protestants, Jews, and Muslims in the Late 20th Century 104

10 Non-Institutional Forms of Religious Practice in the Late 20th Century 116

Conclusion 126

Notes 133

Bibliography 157

Index 171

Editorial Reviews

Communities of the Soul is a spirited portrait in broad strokes of the historical and contemporary landscape of religion in a small country that has fascinated scholars in the social sciences and the humanities, including those who study religion. Igartua … succeeds in crafting a highly readable, useful, and insightful chronicle of how Puerto Rican popular religiosity emerged from a hodgepodge of Indigenous, Spanish, African, US, and other sources.” *University of Toronto Quarterly *


"Communities of the Soul provides a good digest of a complicated history. It will enrich the growing awareness of Puerto Rico's challenges to presumptions of the world's moral order. José Igartua offers insightful reflection on an important subject." Reverend Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo, Fordham University

From the Publisher