Religion and Cinema as Subversive Memories: A Possible Relationship in the Brazilian Context

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Thank you for this engaging study and lens into the world of Brazilian lived religion and cinema. 

My largest and most pressing feedback is that the section on film should be more fully developed for this essay. Cinema is half of the essay's intended subject matter, yet is only cursorily mentioned. A number of primary sources are listed (see lines 332 to 347); however, the engagement is scant, with the authors providing "[t]wo important observations" (line 348), but not providing in depth engagement with any particular source. This contrasts with the careful observation of liturgy in section 3.2. The essay feels imbalanced with the connection between liturgy and film gestured at and far from fully developed. I feel that this could be accomplished through further reading on cinema and memory. I would recommend that the authors spend time with the work of someone like Diana Taylor, whose seminal essays on cultural memory and the Americas deserves to be referenced in this study. The dearth of engagement with film sources seem to me to be the most pressing need for this essay. Thus, I recommend a major revision for the authors to more profoundly engage with cinema in the essay.

Some other observations beginning at the outset of the essay follow.

In section 2, particularly the first paragraph (lines 41-47), the authors should bring in further references about Brazil and memory. Claims like "[t]he country lacks memory of slavery, the genocide of indigenous peoples, as well as of minorities whore are the victims of violence" (lines 44-45) should come, at the very least, with suggests for further engagement.

The beginning of section 3, too, should clearly signpost which backgrounding theory of memory the authors are utilizing in this study and why that theory was chosen.

"will" in line 141 should read as "would."

The authors state in line 155 "We are not able to go deeper into this concept in this space." This contentions should be more pointed. Certainly they could go further into this concept, but the choice has been made to pivot. It would be worthwhile for readers to understand the logic to focus on the memory of suffering (part 3.1) as opposed to other types.

The end of section 3.2, lines 262-304, includes three very long block quotations. While giving these thoughts space in this essay is admirable, it also takes up almost a full page of the essay and suggests that the authors don't have anything to engage with in the quotations. Breaking these up and having engagement from the authors, at the very least helping walk your readers through the ideas, would greatly advance the originality of the essay.

Thank you, again, for your contributions and all the best in your revision.

Author Response

Thank you for this engaging study and lens into the world of Brazilian lived religion and cinema. 

Thank you too!

My largest and most pressing feedback is that the section on film should be more fully developed for this essay. Cinema is half of the essay's intended subject matter, yet is only cursorily mentioned. A number of primary sources are listed (see lines 332 to 347); however, the engagement is scant, with the authors providing "[t]wo important observations" (line 348), but not providing in depth engagement with any particular source. This contrasts with the careful observation of liturgy in section 3.2. The essay feels imbalanced with the connection between liturgy and film gestured at and far from fully developed. I feel that this could be accomplished through further reading on cinema and memory. I would recommend that the authors spend time with the work of someone like Diana Taylor, whose seminal essays on cultural memory and the Americas deserves to be referenced in this study. The dearth of engagement with film sources seem to me to be the most pressing need for this essay. Thus, I recommend a major revision for the authors to more profoundly engage with cinema in the essay.

I tried to expand the reflection on cinema and my understanding of it in the article. I was not able to access texts by Taylor, even so, I sought to enrich the dialogue between cinema and memory.

Some other observations beginning at the outset of the essay follow.

In section 2, particularly the first paragraph (lines 41-47), the authors should bring in further references about Brazil and memory. Claims like "[t]he country lacks memory of slavery, the genocide of indigenous peoples, as well as of minorities whore are the victims of violence" (lines 44-45) should come, at the very least, with suggests for further engagement.

I did it by bringing research done by me on memory and vulnerable groups.

The beginning of section 3, too, should clearly signpost which backgrounding theory of memory the authors are utilizing in this study and why that theory was chosen.

I done.

"will" in line 141 should read as "would."

Done

The authors state in line 155 "We are not able to go deeper into this concept in this space." This contentions should be more pointed. Certainly they could go further into this concept, but the choice has been made to pivot. It would be worthwhile for readers to understand the logic to focus on the memory of suffering (part 3.1) as opposed to other types.

I rewrote this part!

The end of section 3.2, lines 262-304, includes three very long block quotations. While giving these thoughts space in this essay is admirable, it also takes up almost a full page of the essay and suggests that the authors don't have anything to engage with in the quotations. Breaking these up and having engagement from the authors, at the very least helping walk your readers through the ideas, would greatly advance the originality of the essay.

I reorganized this part dialoguing with the quotes.

Thank you, again, for your contributions and all the best in your revision.

Reviewer 2 Report

The article shows its relevance to the dossier. However, it needs deep adjustments and developments. A point that deserves attention is the initial definition, in the introduction, stating the concept of memory, subversive memory. This would help organize the article. Throughout it, Candau's and Assmann's concepts of memory are used, hence, the notion of memory that relates to social struggles, forgetting, and silencing is by Michel Pollack. Thus, it is worth at least sketching Pollack's notion (in the article: “Pollack, Memória, esquecimento, silêncio, Estudos Históricos, Rio de Janeiro, v.2, n.3, 1989 - https://www.uel.br/cch/cdph/arqtxt/Memoria_esquecimento_silencio.pdf) so from that standpoint, reaching Candau, Assman (religious memory) and Ricoeur. When it comes to the “lack of memory” in the first topic and the return to elements of the Military Dictatorship today with the Bolsonaro government, the article by Fábio Py, “Bolsonaro’s Brazilian Christofascism during the Easter period plagued by Covid-19”, IJLAR 4, 2020, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41603-020-00120-4, certainly would help on the common arguments.

At one point it is about Lutheranism, on the matter, I would suggest adding to the text, an article about the subversive memory of Lutherans who will act in the organization of rural social movements in Brazil in the times of the Military Dictatorship. This was written in the article: PY, F.; PEDLOWSKI, M. A. “The role of Lutheran religious in rural social movements in Brazil from 1975 to 1985”, Tempo, Niterói, v. 74, no. 2, 2018 - https://www.scielo.br/j/tem/a/ZrdBkj6JMJNShHBkWRZLgwK/?format=html&lang=pt. When Lutheranism doings and its action for the memory of the defeated are quoted.

Another important fact for the article’s body is that it lacked highlighting a film or a celebration that was based on its development. In fact, this is the most delicate point of the writing. It should be more explicit in order to delve deeper into the theoretical debates. Hence, I confirm the importance of publishing the article, through the adjustments indicated in this evaluation.

Author Response

The article shows its relevance to the dossier. However, it needs deep adjustments and developments. A point that deserves attention is the initial definition, in the introduction, stating the concept of memory, subversive memory. This would help organize the article. Throughout it, Candau's and Assmann's concepts of memory are used, hence, the notion of memory that relates to social struggles, forgetting, and silencing is by Michel Pollack. Thus, it is worth at least sketching Pollack's notion (in the article: “Pollack, Memória, esquecimento, silêncio, Estudos Históricos, Rio de Janeiro, v.2, n.3, 1989 - https://www.uel.br/cch/cdph/arqtxt/Memoria_esquecimento_silencio.pdf) so from that standpoint, reaching Candau, Assman (religious memory) and Ricoeur. When it comes to the “lack of memory” in the first topic and the return to elements of the Military Dictatorship today with the Bolsonaro government, the article by Fábio Py, “Bolsonaro’s Brazilian Christofascism during the Easter period plagued by Covid-19”, IJLAR 4, 2020, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41603-020-00120-4, certainly would help on the common arguments.

At one point it is about Lutheranism, on the matter, I would suggest adding to the text, an article about the subversive memory of Lutherans who will act in the organization of rural social movements in Brazil in the times of the Military Dictatorship. This was written in the article: PY, F.; PEDLOWSKI, M. A. “The role of Lutheran religious in rural social movements in Brazil from 1975 to 1985”, Tempo, Niterói, v. 74, no. 2, 2018 - https://www.scielo.br/j/tem/a/ZrdBkj6JMJNShHBkWRZLgwK/?format=html&lang=pt. When Lutheranism doings and its action for the memory of the defeated are quoted.

Another important fact for the article’s body is that it lacked highlighting a film or a celebration that was based on its development. In fact, this is the most delicate point of the writing. It should be more explicit in order to delve deeper into the theoretical debates. Hence, I confirm the importance of publishing the article, through the adjustments indicated in this evaluation.

Thank you so much for the reading suggestions!
I tried to use them in the article and, in a special way, I tried to make it clearer what understanding of memory I bring in the discussion!