Abstract

PETROGNANI, Claude. Socio-anthropological theoretical reflection on the relationship between sport (football) and religion. The brazilian case. Rev. urug. Antropología y Etnografía [online]. 2025, vol.10, n.1, e201.  Epub June 01, 2025. ISSN 2393-7068.  https://doi.org/10.29112/ruae.v10i1.2423.

This text aims to reflect about the possible interpretative synergies and theoretical sociological and anthropological perspectives between sport, more specifically football, and religion.

The questioning of the relationship between sport (football) and religion wants to relaunch the necessary contribution and “imbrication” between different disciplinary paradigms, which will mean, methodologically and symbolically, “operating on the threshold of anthropology”.

Firstly, the main theoretical perspectives of anthropology and sociology in the debate between sport and religion will be analyzed: the Weberian, Marxist, symbolic-ritualistic and Durkheimian perspectives. In particular, the focus will be on football, the “Surrogate Religion?”.

Secondly, we will advance some considerations around this controversial relationship, focusing our attention, in more detail, on the case of Brazilian football, surrounding the relationship between football and the evangelical field because of the vast and growing visibility that this religious sector has achieved today in society and, in particular, in the football field in Brazil.

Keywords : football; religion; socio-anthropological theories; Brazil; evangelicals.

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