O movimento espírita pelotense e suas raízes sócio-históricas e culturais

Abstract

According to given of the 2000 census, carried through for the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, Pelotas are the second city of the Rio Grande Do Sul with the biggest number of people that if declares spiritualist. While the average of espíritas of the State is of 1,8% of the population, in this city this number goes up for 5,86% of the interviewed ones. This work looks for to understand what it made of Pelotas a city with so expressive number of people who if identify as espíritas. One is not about a quantitative research with sights to prove if Pelotas in fact have a bigger number of espíritas of what other cities of the RS, but yes of a qualitative inquiry through which if it searched to understand the process of formation of the Movemento Espírita Pelotense and a spiritualist identity in the city of Pelotas. In this direction, a historical reconstitution since the sprouting of the espírita doctrine in France, its insertion in the Brazilian society and its penetration in Pelotas during the last quarter of century XIX was made, searching to understand as if it constituted a spiritualist movement in the city and as if it formed the social identity of the people who if identify as spiritualist. Beyond one it on the basis of searches documents and interviews through which if it looked for to understand the process historical of estruturação and development of the Movemento Espírita Pelotense, a field work was also carried through in which if it searched to determine the constituent elements of a spiritualist identity in this city and of ethos and associated it, in the perspective of if explaining what it determined this association of a so significant parcel of the pelotense population with the spiritualism.