Eugenia Rainey is our guest to discuss the African diaspora religion of Santeria. Rainey is associate professor William & Mary Rainey where she is a cultural anthropologist who studies religion as a negotiated process. She focuses on this process at the intersection of Lucumí (also referred to as La Regla de Ochá or Santería) and medicine in south Florida. Through examining devotees’ experiences and perceptions of the medical encounter, and being well grounded in religious practice, she seeks to better understand how the healthcare infrastructure impacts constructions of race and lived religion, as well as how African Diaspora religions in the US support the healthcare needs of devotees and the healthcare infrastructure. 

Eugenia Rainey at William & Mary: https://www.wm.edu/as/americanstudies/faculty/rainey_e.php 

Dr. Rainey's profile on Santeria at the World Religions and Spirituality Project: https://wrldrels.org/2025/05/27/santeria/ 

Books on Santeria mentioned in this podcast:

Santería: Correcting the Myths and Uncovering the Realities of a Growing Religion By Mary Ann Clark  

Santeria: An African Religion in America - By Joseph M. Murphy

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