Religious Tastes and Styles as Markers of Class Belonging: A Bourdieuian Perspective on Pentecostalism in South America

Studies on the relationship between social class and religion tend to highlight the demographic dimension of class, but neglect its symbolic dimension. By addressing the symbolic dimensions through a Bourdieuian approach, this article contends that religious tastes and styles can be employed as class markers within the sphere of religion. A case study on Argentinean Pentecostalism and in-depth analysis of a lower and middle class church illustrate how symbolic class differences are cultivated in the form of distinctive religious styles. While the lower class church displays a style marked by emotional expressiveness and the search for life improvement through spiritual practices, the middle class church performs a sober and calm style of Pentecostalism. The study highlights the role of styles in the reproduction of class boundaries, while shedding a critical light on the importance of tastes

O alcoolismo é uma doença contagiosa? Representações sobre o contágio e a doença de ex-bebedores Is alcoholism a contagious disease? Representations on contagion and disease of ex-drinkers

Este artigo busca estabelecer os contornos de uma teoria cultural do contágio a propósito da doença alcoólica. Assim, ao contrário do modelo biomédico, que circunscreve o contágio ao âmbito biológico e fisiológico atestado clinicamente, busca-se refletir sobre as concepções do contágio ligadas a um contexto sociocultural específico, tal como o proposto pela associação de ex-bebedores dos Alcoólicos Anônimos (AA). A partir de pesquisa etnográfica realizada com familiares e membros do grupo Sapopemba de AA, localizado em bairro da periferia da cidade de São Paulo, Brasil, enfatiza-se o papel desta entidade como um espaço privilegiado para o estudo antropológico da experiência do alcoolismo, entendido como uma doença "contagiosa", a partir de um estudo das representações culturais, das práticas sociais e da (re)construção da identidade, ligadas ao par alcoolismo/doença. Com efeito, evidencia-se que, para os membros de AA e seus familiares, as possibilidades de contágio da doença alcoólica estão diretamente ligadas às representações construídas sobre o álcool e o alcoolismo, entendido como uma doença física e moral e a seus efeitos sobre o conjunto de relações sociais - familiares e profissionais -, nas quais o ex-bebedor está envolvido.<br>This article is an attempt to set the contours of a cultural theory of contagion about alcoholism. This way, instead of the biomedical model, which circumscribes contagion to the clinically confirmed biological and physiological environment, we try to reflect on the conceptions of contagion associated to a specific social and cultural context, like the one proposed by the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) association of ex-drinkers. From the ethnographic research conducted within family in the Sapopemba group of AA, located in a neighbourhood in the outskirts of the city of São Paulo, Brazil, the role of this agency as a privileged place for anthropological study of alcoholism is stressed. Here alcoholism is viewed as a "contagious" disease, from a study on cultural representations, social practices and the (re)building of identity, linked to the alcoholism/disease couple. In fact, it becomes clear that, for AA members and your family, the possibilities of contagion of the alcoholic disease are directly linked to representations built on alcohol and alcoholism, understood as a physical and moral disease and to its effects on the whole of socials relationships - both family and professional - in which ex-drinkers are involved