Spiritisme et racisme au Brésil mediums kardécistes et esprits africains dans l’umbanda ésoterique

This paper explores a movement taking place among some Kardecist-Spiritist groups in Brazil who now refer to themselves by the term Esoteric Umbanda. Their mediums, who in the past never received «African» or other «low level» spirits, are now being sent to Umbanda centers to learn to receive Orixas, Pretos Velhos, Caboclos, etc. The reason for this is that they believe that these spirits are often the cause of Black Magic being worked against their traditional primarily white, middle-class clientele. By learning to receive these «low level» spirits they believe that it will be easier to exorcise them through the technique of disobsession. Analysis will show that this movement is based on racist stereotypes prevalent in Brazil that are reemerging in the current period of crisis