"Brujería Lite": Centering Blacknessas-Practice in Everyday AfroPuerto Rican Spiritualities.

SPIRITUALITY; SELF-efficacy; EDUCATION; PUERTO Ricans; WOMEN

Blackness and brujería are taboo topics within Latinx communities; both typically have negative imagery and are actively avoided. Recently, many AfroLatinx women have reclaimed the bruja identity as an outward expression of their blackness and a source of personal empowerment. In this paper, I define the concept of blackness-as-practice by focusing on AfroPuerto Rican women and their spiritual practices. Blackness-aspractice describes lived activity rooted in Black cultural praxis, which differs from body-based understandings of blackness. As one participant voiced, "It's like brujería lite"--that is, the informal spirituality imbued into the everyday practices of AfroPuerto Rican women who presented their blackness in meaningful ways. A synthesis of six participants' life history interviews, this paper provides insights into the definitions of blackness through its manifestation in spiritual practices, what I have termed blackness-as-practice. I conclude with suggestions for how to bring blackness-as-practice into formal educational spaces for more inclusivity of the multiplicity of AfroLatinx identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Centro Journal is the property of Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos (Center for Puerto Rican Studies) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)