The Brahma Kumaris in Portugal/Portuguese

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ex-l

ex-BK

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The Brahma Kumaris in Portugal/Portuguese

Post05 Oct 2015

Reference to the study of the expansion of the Brahma Kumaris in Portugal is made in 'Gender and Power in Contemporary Spirituality: Ethnographic Approaches' edited by Anna Fedele, Kim Knibbe.

Also, in 'Indentidades e performatividade de Genero nas practicas discursivas da Brahma Kumaris', by Daniel Silva (Brazil). Cadernos de Linguagem e Sociedade 9, no 1 2008

The paper makes correlations with Agnieszka Koscianska's studies of the BKs in Poland, another Catholic country but appears to have swallowed Brahma Kumari Tamasin Ramsay's academic work as being from an independent academic and much of the usual BK whitewashing of their history etc.

It seems the BKs in Portugal have been most successful in targeting mothers

The paper starts by focusing on the difference between spiritual and religious, religious being defined as "a relationship of obedience in relation to a hierarchical authority". Religion implying "a process of institutionalization supported by relations of power, based on doctrines, theologies and rituals"

And yet, the author goes on to allow and support the BKs defining themselves instead as "spiritual". Spiritual defined as being "opposed to conformity".
Identidades e performatividade de gêne- ro nas práticas discursivas da Brahma Kumaris

Daniel do Nascimento e Silva

Abstract

The present paper undertakes a theoretical and critical analysis of the question of gender within Brahma Kumaris discursive practices and makes its critique in line, basically, with the thought of Judith Butler. The interdisciplinary field of gender studies argues that gender is the very condition of possibility for subjectivity, thus being invested with social and political connotations. However, the traditions, both secular and religious, tend either to obliterate or to naturalize gender. By adopting the theoretical and methodological framework of Social and Cultural Pragmatics (Rajagopalan, 2000; Pinto, 2002), this paper attempts to critique the elision of gender within Brahma Kumaris discourse, and, in doing so, tries to address the question of performativity that is implied in recent critical approaches of the social and human sciences when focusing the question of gender.
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Pink Panther

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Re: The Brahma Kumaris in Portugal/Portuguese

Post06 Oct 2015

Good scholars, like journalists, should double-check their sources and their conclusions. Seems to be a case of having made up one’s mind about what the conclusion should be and went looking for something to back that up.

ex.brahmakumaris

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Re: The Brahma Kumaris in Portugal/Portuguese

Post01 Mar 2016

Hi ex-I,

I've just discovered this site and found it very helpful and the most comprehensive.

I native Portuguese speaker and I'd like to know if there's a website like this in Portuguese, wether in Portugal or Brazil does not matter.

I appreciate any help. I have a member of family who is in BK for about 18 years.

Thanks.
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ex-l

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Re: The Brahma Kumaris in Portugal/Portuguese

Post02 Mar 2016

That would be great, ex-b, let's talk. The BKs have a big presence in South America and pretty much treat poor South Americans like second class.

What's your experience of them?

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