Brazil according to spiritism:

representations of Brazilian national identity in Brasil, Coração do Mundo, Pátria do Evangelho (1938)

Authors

  • Thalita da Silva Alves Universildade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte
  • André Victor Cavalcanti Seal da Cunha Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte
  • Mairon Escorsi Valério Universidade de São Paulo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22478/ufpb.1982-6605.2026v23n1.76613

Abstract

This study examines the strategies adopted by Spiritism in response to political pressures during the Estado Novo dictatorship, established in 1937. Within this context, we analyze representations of Brazilian national identity in the book Brasil, Coração do Mundo, Pátria do Evangelho (1938), psychographed by medium Francisco Cândido Xavier and attributed to the spirit author Humberto de Campos. Using content analysis methodology according to Laurence Bardin, we identified four main types of representation: Brazil as a divinely chosen nation tasked with teaching charity and faith to humanity; the mixed-race population, with miscegenation as the foundation of national fraternity; Afro-Brazilians as fully integrated into society and recognized for their patriotic sacrifices; and a national disposition of gentleness that prevents revolutionary violence. These representations position Brazil’s ethnic diversity as central to its national identity, in alignment with contemporary intellectual discourse, official propaganda, and educational materials that shaped historical consciousness at the time. This research was supported by funding from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).

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Published

2026-03-30

How to Cite

DA SILVA ALVES, Thalita; CAVALCANTI SEAL DA CUNHA, André Victor; ESCORSI VALÉRIO, Mairon. Brazil according to spiritism: : representations of Brazilian national identity in Brasil, Coração do Mundo, Pátria do Evangelho (1938). Religare, [S. l.], v. 23, n. 1, 2026. DOI: 10.22478/ufpb.1982-6605.2026v23n1.76613. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufpb.br/index.php/religare/article/view/76613. Acesso em: 16 jul. 2026.

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Section

Artigos Nacionais