Abstract: | Drawing on data collected in Greater Maputo in the second half of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, this study examines the place of Pentecostal or Zionist Churches in urban society in Mozambique. It outlines the history of Zionist Churches and their main characteristics, the role of women in Zionist Churches, the attitude of Zionist Churches towards African traditional beliefs and practices, the relationship between different Zionist Churches and between Zionist Churches and other Christian Churches, and the role of Zionist Churches in urban Mozambique. It shows that the adherents of Zionist Churches in Maputo come from mainline Christian denominations, and are attracted in particular by the promise of miracle healing. The Zionist Churches reflect the conflict between rural indigenous traditions and urban Western norms, an ethnocultural dualism which is manifested in the relations between Zionists and traditional healers. Participation in Zionist Churches establishes a new type of social ties, especially for women, thereby rearranging the communal social space. Bibliogr., sum. in English, French and Portuguese (p. 596), text in Portuguese. |