This book represents a unique contribution to understanding the interactions between law and religion in contemporary Brazil. It analyzes how the regulation of religions according to the classical notion of secularism has become a source of tensions since the 1990s. Against this background, the respective chapters demonstrate, on the basis of various case studies, how the constitutional principle of pluralism, introduced by the 1988 federal constitution after a military dictatorship, has been addressed by new political actors, such as religious leaders, parliamentarians, influencers, state representatives, and activists. In particular, the chapters demonstrate how the mobilization of legal language, notably the language of human rights, has become fundamental to developing and consolidating new political agendas concerning secularism, tolerance, freedom of expression, gender and sexuality, family, and cultural heritage. In the authors' approach, human rights assume a central role in social disputes as a language in which actors constitute themselves as rights subjects, form activist networks, and pursue their goals by expressing themselves in public. Given its focus and scope, the book will be of interest to all scholars seeking to understand the relationships between diversity and the regulation of religious practices in plural societies, where the classical notion of secularism continues to show its limitations.

Autorentext

Prof. Paula Montero is an Anthropology Professor at the State University of São Paulo (USP - Brazil) and a Senior Researcher at the Brazilian Center of Analysis and Planning (Cebrap). Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, she was Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Latin American and Iberian Studies at Columbia University in 1984 and Tinker Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago in 1996. She participates as a principal investigator of the Nonreligion in a Complex Future project (University of Ottawa). Her research interests are focused on the interface between religion, law, and pluralism. Prof. Camila Nicácio is a Law School Professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG - Brazil). Ph.D. in Law at the Université Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne, France. She is Visiting Professor at Université de Laval, University of Ottawa, and Université Paris I, and participates as a collaborator of the Nonreligion in a Complex Future project (University of Ottawa). Her research interests are focused on the interface between law/religion, legal pluralism, human rights, and conflict mediation. Dr. Henrique Antunes is a postdoctoral fellow at the Brazilian Center of Analysis and Planning. He has a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of São Paulo. He is a member of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies on Psychoactive Substances (NEIP) and the coordinator of the Ayahuasca Community Committee of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. He is also a member of the Nonreligion in a Complex Future project. His research interests are focused on religion, law, and drug policies.