Gender and pentecostalism among the Gitanos of Madrid: Combining approaches

In this article I take a dichotomous approach, exploring two periods in the development of Pentecostalism among Gitanos in Madrid, and two analytical approaches to the Gitano Pentecostal phenomenon and its relation to gendered subjectivities, identities and identifications. I first look back to the early spread of Gitano Pentecostalism in the early 1990s, and outline the ways in which it was portrayed by Gitanos as a trigger for change in gender relations. I then I focus on the present, discussing the life of a couple, Juanón and Agata, and their differing involvement with Pentecostalism. The article stresses the very varied areas of Gitano everyday life in which Pentecostalism makes its presence felt, and the multiple analytical approaches needed to make sense of the Pentecostal complexity. In particular, I stress the need to explore the detail of individual lives so as to understand the experiences of Pentecostalism of Gitanos in Madrid.