Transposing Brazilian Carnival: Religion, Cultural Heritage, and Secularism in Rio de Janeiro

This article discusses the rise of evangelical carnival parades in Rio de Janeiro in relation to spectacular carnival parades that feature Afro-Brazilian religious elements. The article exposes divergent intersections of religion and cultural heritage in Brazilian carnival. The first intersection aims to affirm the intrinsic connection between samba enredo carnival music and Afro-Brazilian religion by means of cultural heritage narratives, and the second type employs similar narratives to undo this connection, attempting to make samba enredo accessible to evangel-ical religious performance. The article demonstrates the important role secularism plays in upholding distinctions between " culture " and " religion, " and shows how evangelical carnival groups engage with such historical forma-tions by means of estra egia (strategy)—evangelical performances in cultural styles that are commonly perceived as " worldly. " This estra egia depends on and proposes a particular set of semiotic ideologies that allows for the separation of cultural form and spiritual content. Efforts to open up " national " cultural styles to different religious groups in light of multicultural politics are laudable, but advocates of such politics should keep in mind that cultural heritage regimes concerning samba push in the opposite direction and support a different set of semiotic ideologies. [religion, carnival, secularism, cultural heritage, Brazil] RESUMEN Este articulo discute el aumento de los desfiles carnavalescos evan elicos en Rio de Janeiro comparado con los desfiles carnavalescos espectaculares que exhiben elementos religiosos afro-brasil nos. El articulo expone intersecciones divergentes de religi on y patrimonio cultural en el carnaval brasil no. La primera intersecci on tiene el pro osito de afirmar la conexi on intrinseca entre la usica de carnaval samba enredo y la religi on afro-brasil na por medio de narrativas de patrimonio cultural, y el segundo tipo emplea narrativas similares para deshacer esta conexi on, intentando hacer la samba enredo accesible a las presentaciones religiosas evan elicas. El articulo de-muestra el importante papel que el secularismo juega en mantener las distinciones entre " cultura " y " religi on " y muestra omo los grupos carnavalescos evan elicos involucran tales formaciones his oricas por medio de una estra egia (estrategia)—presentaciones evan elicas en estilos culturales que son co unmente percibidos como " mundanos " . Esta estra egia depende de, y propone un juego particular de ideologias semi oticas que permite la separaci on de la forma cultural y el contenido espiritual. Los esfuerzos para abrir los estilos culturales " nacionales " a diferentes grupos religiosos a la luz de la politica multicultural son laudables, pero defensores de tal politica deberian tener presente que los regimenes de patrimonio cultural concernientes a la samba empujan en la direcci on opuesta y apoyan un diferente juego de ideologias semi oticas. [religi on, carnaval, secularismo, patrimonio cultural, Brasil]