The contemporary Afro-American religion field in Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

This article analyzes the current Afro-religious field of Rio Grande do Sul, with emphasis on its religious expressions and the statistical data available. The analysis focuses on two points: a) the strong importance that “Linha Cruzada”, or Quimbanda, has acquired in that state during the last decades, and its effects on the religious field; and b) the strong incidence one observes in that state of belonging to that religious field, fact which has been verified during the last two national censuses that show Rio Grande do Sul is the most Afro-religious state of Brazil.