An Ethnography: Discovering the Hidden Identity of the Banilejos (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781533643636)

During June of 2015, an anthropological and sociological study was conducted in the Dominican city of Bani. On the surface, the banilejo people appear to be devout Catholics. However, having had access to their personal lives, it was evident that their peculiar family traditions and folklore hinted at their liminal identities. This study involved interviewing 23 female subjects with questions found in the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitorial manuals. In addition, their mitochondrial DNA sequences were analyzed and demonstrated a high percentage of consanguinity and inbreeding within Bani's population. The genetic analysis of their mitochondrial DNA yielded genetic links with Jewish women from worldwide Jewish communities. Victor Turner's communitas theory and Geertz's thick description were used as the methodology. Ultimately, the sociological and anthropological analysis of their way of life evidenced how their ancestors preserved Jewish identity covertly throughout the Inquisition time period (1481-1834) and how they continue to perpetuate it in contemporary times through consanguinity, and the power of superstition and taboo.

Author: Yehonatan Elazar-Demota M. a.
ISBN-10: 1533643636
ISBN-13: 9781533643636
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Language: English
Published: 01/02/2017
Pages: 120
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.51lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.31d