Os deuses vendem quando dão: Os sentidos do dinheiro nas relações de troca no candomblé

Abstract

The article investigates the meaning of exchange relations involving the use of money among followers of candomblé. These relations, which unfold within the space of a 'saint family,' activate symbolic dimensions that derive from a connection with the sacred. Here I study the border zone where an economy of the gift or grace continually merges with the world of interests, just as the latter sometimes mobilizes aspects linked to divine grace. Examining these relations mediated by money, I try to expose not only the imprecise limit between gift and interest, but the vast field in which the exchanges between social agents are processed. Adopting a wider perspective on the questions raised here, the text aims to comprehend the social meaning of money in the relations that constitute religious experience and practice.