Under the shadow of a tree, a circle of pagans: neotribalism in the relationship between religion and public space from case of Pagan Social Meeting in Belém, Pará

Abstract

The paper discusses the elements that stand out through the relationship between the religious expressions of Contemporary Paganism and the public space of Belém, Pará, reflecting on sociability processes that occur among the pagans in the city. The thread is the ethnographic analysis of three editions of Encontro Social Pagão (Pagan Social Meeting) in Belém, Pará. Held monthly in a city park, the event is responsible for aggregating many followers of pagan religions. The acting of the Encontro is evident as an important agent responsible for the formation of a pagan community in the city, acting as a catalyst for sociability practices among pagans. It is in this context that highlights the emotional and subjective nature of that grouping, because the people who are there come together around a shared feeling of being pagan.