Performances e Ritualidades no Movimento da Renovação Carismática Católica

Abstract

This work addresses the importance of performance and rituals to establish the identity of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement. It brings out the history of this movement and its Neo-Pentecostal origins, identifying elements from this movement s doctrine and conversion s strategy. Based on a literature review and participant observation this works considers the concepts from social anthropology, which may be useful for reading the identity basis of the movement: the concepts of etnoscenology and performances. Coming from the etnoscenolographia the etnoscenology is an aspect of the etnoscience that studies the human s behavior well-organized (mixed of artistic practices and non-artistic, like religious rituals). Under this perspective, the etnoscenology studies looping acts that follow rules already established that individuals from a community can identify themselves. Another concept approached in this work relates to the performance s notion (theoretical-practical arising from anthropology and sociology) and researches the collective actions in their rituals. This performance s notion comes from the dynamic phenomena, which occurs as collective movement where social s actors and their reception take part. Based on these principles, this research shows the body and gestural elements that we can see in the charismatic s etnoscenology. The use of body techniques, such as touch, hands laying and kneel, mixed with prays, sings and dances were considered as fundamental scenic s elements to make this identity movement. Adding to this performance aspects of glossolalia (brought out from the early Church) as special concession given to devotees. It appears, from the research made, that the etnoscenics performances are fundamental to give identity to the movement.