ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the methodological and ethical challenges of researching religions in a non-exploitative, emancipatory way. The authors aim to avoid essentialism but place the research within the broader discourse on Brazilian culture and identity. The research design and methodology are described, including the observations from the authors' experiences during interviews. Specifically, the authors acknowledged the shift in power relationships between interviewers and interviewees, with the latter often taking on the role of a preacher and using the interview as a platform to educate researchers about the “truth” coming from God. The chapter also acknowledges the diverse ways in which people legitimise knowledge without directly referring to the work of David Robertson, which was covered in the previous chapter. This theoretical framework is combined with a contemplative approach to the researched subject. According to Phillips the contemplative approach aims to “suspend moral evaluations for the sake of achieving a more detached and disinterested perspective on the phenomena at issue”. This enables “placing competing voices in juxtaposition to one another to accentuate the divergences between them”.
