Abstract
Any attempt to grasp that which is currently at stake in sociology of religion from a Latin American point of view requires awareness of the current context, including multiple on-going processes of globalization and geopolitical tensions in the post-September 11 world. The internal contradictions of the process of modernization and the inequalities involved in globalization create repercussions in the field of religion in Latin America, with its diverse and plural character. The emergence of new religious phenomena-neo-pagan magical cults, anti-globalization movements with spiritual overtones, Pentecostal cults, African-American cults, New Age movements, various ecclesiastical movements and the greater or lesser influence of each established church or denomination in Latin American societies, all this will depend, in future, upon global scenarios and upon the general climate of uncertainty which exists, and which has an effect on the search fr meaning and people's needfor ritual expression.