Rituals of Mystique: Blurred Boundaries between Politics and Religion

Abstract

This article defines the contours of ‘mystique’ as a category and social practice in the Landless Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhados Sem-Terra/MST), exploring the implications of the unique entanglement of religion and politics that it expresses. It reveals the social and political confluences that enabled this particular configuration of ‘mystique’, accompanied by ethnographic vignettes that sketch the meanings and uses of this category within the Movement. The ethnography relies on a historical-ethnographic interpretation of the MST as a political phenomenon, and the role played by rituals in it. By analytically tracing the metamorphoses of this typically religious category, and examining its characteristics, meanings, social uses, and political implications, broadens our understanding of similar phenomena and sheds light on the political importance of religion in recent Brazilian history.

Keywords:
Mystique; Politics; Religion; MST; Rituals