Representations of Pentecostals in literature and the press in Costa Rica during the 20th century

Abstract

This article analyzes social representations that both the press and literature made about Pentecostalism in Costa Rica during the 20th century. From a social, cultural, and historical perspective we approach two Costa Rican authors who incorporate Pentecostals in their narratives, as well as how the written press covered the health campaigns. The objective was to identify three of the main representations and their cultural implications. In our theoretical approach we mainly turn to Serge Moscovici and his proposal for representations from social psychology. Through an analysis of the literature and press we identified that Costa Rican society often pejoratively identifies or represents Pentecostals as “The Tambourines”, “the Park Preacher” and the “evangelistic and divine healing” campaigns. These representations are installed in society at a time when the religious field at a social and cultural level became tense and competitive.