Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Major/Program
Religious Studies
First Advisor's Name
Tudor Parfitt
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee chair
Second Advisor's Name
Ana Maria Bidegain
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Committee member
Third Advisor's Name
Abe Lavender
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee member
Date of Defense
3-22-2016
Abstract
During June of 2015, an anthropological and sociological study was conducted in the Dominican city of Bani. On the surface, the banilejo people appear to be devout Catholics. However, having had access to their personal lives, it was evident that their peculiar family traditions and folklore hinted at their liminal identities. This study involved interviewing 23 female subjects with questions found in the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitorial manuals. In addition, their mitochondrial DNA sequences were analyzed and demonstrated a high percentage of consanguinity and inbreeding within Bani's population. The genetic analysis of their mitochondrial DNA yielded genetic links with Jewish women from worldwide Jewish communities. Victor Turner's communitas theory and Geertz's thick description were used as the methodology. Ultimately, the sociological and anthropological analysis of their way of life evidenced how their ancestors preserved Jewish identity covertly throughout the inquisition time period (1481-1834) and how they continue to perpetuate it in contemporary times through consanguinity, and the power of superstition and taboo.
Identifier
FIDC000282
Recommended Citation
Elazar-Demota, Yehonatan, "An Ethnography: Discovering the Hidden Identity of the Banilejos" (2016). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2441.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2441
Included in
Biblical Studies Commons, Caribbean Languages and Societies Commons, Catholic Studies Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, History of Christianity Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, Medieval Studies Commons, Near Eastern Languages and Societies Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Other Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Commons
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