Religion and Dictatorship in Brazil: the Case of Umbanda in Getúlio Vargas's New State (1937-1945)

This article deals with the relationship between Umbanda, a religion that worships the ancestral spirits of blacks, Indians and whites, and Getúlio Vargas‟s dictatorship in Brazil, the New State (1937-1945). Historiography has recorded the repressive effort of the New State, not only on the so-called “Mediumistic2 Religions” (Spiritism and Umbanda), but also on Candomble. However, empirical evidence presents a surprising position when considering Umbanda in Brazil. Documents show an explicit relation of Umbanda and dictatorship while it was in force. This close relation has reached the point of erasing the repression led by Getúlio Vargas‟s dictatorship of the mediumistic religions and of Candomble.