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| Author(s): |
Renan William dos Santos
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD) |
| Defense date: | 2023-12-05 |
| Examining board members: |
Jose Reginaldo Prandi;
Ronaldo Romulo Machado de Almeida;
Cecília Loreto Mariz;
Maria José Fontelas Rosado Nunes
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| Advisor: | Jose Reginaldo Prandi |
| Abstract | |
This work sociologically investigates the \"religionization\" of the environmental agenda put forward by Catholic and Evangelical churches, organizations, and leaders in Brazil. Based on an exploratory mapping and drawing from academic literature on the greening of religions, this work identifies and analyzes the key legitimization strategies employed by eco-religious entrepreneurs in the Brazilian context, the dynamics of their \"internal\" and \"external\" disputes (within institutional circles and in interaction with other religious groups and the secular environmentalist movement), and the formation of associative networks that aim to either promote or hinder efforts to recycle the Christian cosmology. On a more abstract theoretical level, I also connect the examination of the religious repercussions of the environmental agenda among Catholics and Evangelicals in Brazil with the discussion of the dynamics of religious change in modern societies, where the religious phenomenon is consistently displaced, challenged, and simultaneously reaffirmed. The research employs a diverse theoretical and methodological framework. It is anchored in a comparative perspective and focuses on trends. The data sources are: 1) 34 in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with religious leaders who have been involved in promoting or opposing the environmental agenda among Catholics and Evangelicals, and 2) promotional materials and other types of literature produced by eco-religious individuals and their opponents. Additionally, I compiled quantitative data from opinion surveys addressing the relationship between ecology and religion, and I took part in meetings related to the same subject. The research reveals that, even though there is a certain consensus among Christians about the positive nature of environmental protection, Catholic and Evangelical leaders face a series of challenges when trying to set up their eco-religious initiatives in the Brazilian context. Within the Catholic sphere, there are indications that various forms of organizational efforts have been deployed to change this situation, based on the perspective that institutional investment in the ecological agenda is both legitimate and strategic for regaining public relevance and obtaining relative advantages in religious competition. Among evangelicals, the horizon of opportunities is cloudier. Although a broad symbolic repertoire has been specifically produced for this target audience, social and organizational constraints have been reinforcing the perception that it is not interesting for key figures in this field to direct resources towards leveraging the environmental agenda in a systematic and coordinated way within the congregations. Finally, the research has also identified the emergence of initiatives actively opposing the advancement of the ecological agenda among Christians in a coordinated manner with national and international actors in the ecosystem of climate change denial. Based on a heightened sense of embattlement, denominational specificities in these cases are set aside in the name of an alleged defense of Christian civilization, which is believed to be under attack from various global conspiracies disguised under the discourse of environmental protection (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 17/24842-1 - Religious orientations on ecological conduct: Environmentalist adherence in Catholic and evangelical religions in Brazil |
| Grantee: | Renan William dos Santos |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |