Perez y Menas understanding of the term `Syncretism`

Perez Y Menas Understanding of the Term Syncretism

Discussion of Perez Menas Understanding of the term syncretism

In the introduction of his book , Andrie Perez Y Mena discussed his view on syncretism which is a model of analysis that denies the enslaved a consciousness of their predicament in the new world (p . 1 . His reference for this statement perhaps is Showerman 's view that he quoted which states `that the earliest mention of syncretism appeared in Plutarch as the act or system of blending , combining , or reconciling inharmonious elements . to forget dissensions

and to unite in the face of common danger

Perez Menas cited the view of Herskovits and Ortiz , which used the idea of syncretism to explain the acculturation or assimilation , and transculturation . Perez Menas pointed out that to Herskovitz , Ortiz and many other authors believed that Syncretism was the product of an unconscious slave class , who became confused in their imagery of the saints and their Yorubaland ancestor deities , orisas (p . 18 . It means that for Perez Menas , these men believed that syncretism was more identified in acculturation or transculturation of Afro-Latin religion which is specifically the combination of the Roman Catholic Religion with the West African Yoruba land people . But Perez Menas believed that this syncretism is erroneous because according to an eminent author erroneous data had been included in a first publication in the 1970s (p . 17

Thus , the author emphasized that for Herskovitz , Ortiz , and many others , the unconscious slave class became confused in their imagery of the saints and their Yoruba land ancestors deities and orisas . Perez Menas argued that most researchers failed to discern that the saint and the orisa are one in form but are in contradiction for cosmological purposes . Perez Menas said that the saints and the Yoruba ancestor spirits (orisa ) may occupy the same space and time in ritual , but they are not the same cosmologically because their cues are different . He believes that this religious syncretism is erroneous and therefore emphasized that Roman Catholic religion and the Afro-Latin religion represented by the orisas was cosmologically different

Religious syncretism therefore was the overwhelming focus of the author particularly the Afro-Latin religion . The author point out that this Afro- Latin religious syncretism , were not actually given much attention by some authors as most of them did not discussed syncretism in their book

Perez Menas believed that even though the enslaved people said that the orisas and the saints were the same , it is most probable that they said this to conceal a reality which provided them a space to worship (p . 19 . He point out that the consciousness of a cosmological duality is the main ingredient of Afro-Latin Caribbean religiosity . This confirms the author understands that syncretism does not exactly mean of acculturation , which Herskovitz , Ortiz , and other authors had pointed out

Perez Menas rather believe that the researchers really failed to discern the contradistinction for cosmological between the saint of the Roman Catholic and the orisa . He pointed out that...