Spiritual politics and agency

approximations between pombagiras and prostitutes

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.9771/peri.v1i24.62038

Abstract

Based on a four-year ethnography, we analyze how spiritual politics circumvent and modify power relations in different prostitution zones. Through observations of the evocation and incorporation of pombagiras — spiritual entities of Afro-Brazilian religions, represented as female figures — by prostitutes, we show how sex workers activate these entities to fulfill desires, seek protection, and obtain financial gains at work. In dialogue with socio-anthropological studies on pombagiras and prostitutes, we examine how the socio-historical link between them relates to shared attributes of femininity, complicating notions of agency.

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Author Biographies

Adriely Clarindo Cattani, State University of Campinas

Psychologist, with a master’s degree in Institutional Psychology and a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology.

Alexsandro Rodrigues, Federal University of Espírito Santo

Educator, with a master’s and a doctorate in Education. Professor in the Curriculum of Basic Education course at the Center for Education and tenured professor in the Graduate Program in Institutional Psychology.

Rafaela Werneck Arenari, Federal University Fluminense

Psychologist, with a master’s degree in Institutional Psychology and a Ph.D. in Political Sociology.

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Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

Clarindo Cattani, A., Rodrigues, A., & Werneck Arenari, R. . (2026). Spiritual politics and agency: approximations between pombagiras and prostitutes. Revista Periódicus, 1(24), 85–106. https://doi.org/10.9771/peri.v1i24.62038

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 24 (2026): Continuous Article Publishing

Section

Flow section

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Adriely Clarindo, Alexsandro Rodrigues, Rafaela Martins

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