First published in France in 1960, the book represents a singular effort to develop a theory of the interpenetrations of African, European, Christian, and non-Christian cultures in Brazil from colonial times to the present. Addressing a remarkable range of topics—from mysticism and syncretism to the problems of collective memory, from the history of slavery in Brazil to world-wide race relations—the work is shaped by the author's rich and original conceptual framework. The result is a compelling study of the origins and growth of a native religious environment.The English translation is supplemented with a biographical foreword by Richard Price and a thematic introduction by Brazilian sociologist Duglas T. Monteiro.