The Scientific Study of Religious Cognition in Brazil

The psychology of religion (PR) has a growing presence in Brazil, but its character and extent are not yet well delineated. The research most readily visible is often aligned with theories and data from external sources, especially Europe and the US. The result is that indigenous Brazilian voices are not yet apparent. It is likely that this means many questions and ideas unique to the Brazilian context have yet to be heard. Articulating and broadcasting an indigenous Brazilian PR has the potential to enrich the field in several ways. First, it can broaden the dialogue. The overwhelming majority of work currently exists along a northern hemisphere, East – West axis dominated by connections between western Europe and the US. Shared socio-political and geographic similarities clearly influence the topics addressed and the methods employed. Second, it has the potential to influence the nature of the dialogue. Even a cursory study reveals that psychological understandings and practices of religion in Brazil do not simply match our current categories of knowledge. The proposed project aims to encourage Brazilian psychologists of religion to systematically explore the traditions of their vast country in order to expand our collective knowledge. To accomplish this goal, we will describe the current state of PR in Brazil from training opportunities to research and application. In addition, we will emphasize the creation of new knowledge by stimulating and disseminating original research through a competitive RFP program and conference / publication activities. We anticipate that these opportunities will encourage and equip a new set of scholars capable of broadening and deepening the PR knowledge base by virtue of their insights drawn from the Brazilian context.