The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York
Navigating Ocha: LGBT Practitioners' Participation and Navigation of Lucumí
Abstract
dc:description.abstract<p>This dissertation looks at the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Lucumí/Santería in New York City, with a focus on transgender people. This work uses qualitative interviews and ethnographic observations to look at how LGBT people navigate ritual space and people politics in Lucumí. As part of contemporary social shifts, many are seeking alternative spaces of spiritual practice and that includes LGBT people. LGBT people and trans people in particular are seeking Lucumi and being drawn in, this dissertation looks at some of these mechanisms. In addition, this dissertation looks at how home is created or not for LGBT people.</p> <p>Lucumí as a practice is nuanced and often reads trans people as illegible given the larger US gender binary and the binary within Lucumí. Further, while some do not tolerate trans practitioners, the religion’s internal logics allow for a more expansive place for trans people, if there is the will to do so. This research also looks at the ways transgender as a category is complicated in the Lucumí context. How trans people including nonbinary people are/not being accommodated currently is one of the arenas this work looks at. This dissertation also looks at spirit communication, broadly conceived, and how messages from spirit are translated/mistranslated through the particular political lens of the practitioner/medium.</p>
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Level thesis:degree_level
- Doctoral
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Sociology
- Grantor
- The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York
- Year dc:date.available
- 2021
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Camacho, Carlos M
- Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
-
- Erica Chito-Childs
- Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
-
- Amy Adamczyk
- Ana Ramos-Zayas
- Salvador Vidal-Ortiz
Subjects
dc:subject × 9Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Repository record dc:identifier
- https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/4546
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:academicworks.cuny.edu:gc_etds-5624