Gestão social na umbanda sob o olhar bantu

Abstract

The present work aims to discuss the concept of social management from the perspective of central philosophical patterns in the history of Brazil, from underrepresented cultures and experiences. In this sense, the focus was on Bantu cosmoperceptions in their cardinal values, placing Umbanda, a religion recreated in Brazil, as an heir to this African tradition. To this end, a brief historical overview of the Bantu trajectory was carried out, highlighting the central meanings maintained and adaptations made in the Brazilian diaspora. The concept of social management was addressed, pointing out the absence of subjects and principles of non-Western cultural roots in its main statements. Bantu values were then understood as categories of analysis for social management and applied to assess Umbanda houses of worship in the North Zone of the city of Niteroi, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The goal was to verify how these categories behaved, to raise alternative practices of social management and, eventually, to contribute to a discussion on ancestry or decoloniality initially pointed out. Methodologically, a literature review and qualitative research with different instruments were carried out.