Em busca da religiosidade sertaneja: Fé e cultura no sertão das Gerais

Abstract

This dissertation deals with the Romanization process of the Roman Catholic Church in the region of Montes Claros, and the performance of foreign missionaries in the introduction of new religious practices in lieu of the old practices, seen as deviant. Our proposition was to discuss the black brotherhood's ancient religious practices, in the period of secularization of the Brazilian State, confronting them with the new practices driven by foreign missionaries in the northern Minas Gerais backwoods, having, as a distinct space, Montes Claros region between 1890 and 1930, as well as the way that people understood and related to these practices and the Romanization discourse. During this dissertation we use, in addition to the literature in Social History, written reports left by travelers and European missionaries in the region of Montes Claros. These discussions identified everyday life aspects - religious and cultural - in the backcountry, particularly regarding to the resistance generated by the imposition of values unrelated to the traditions and the local culture.