Abstract:
This thesis analyzes the remnants of culture and religion, especially in Lutheran traditions, brought by the first European immigrants from the XIX century, with focus on women of German descent that live in the “Vale dos Sinos” region, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The goal is to identify to what extent the customs and traditions inherited from the ancestors of these German-Brazilian women was preserved until the current days, and how much it influences the construction of their identities. The research falls within the concentration area of Religion, Theology and Society, that addresses and problematizes the relations between Religion, Theology and Society, as well as its interfaces with the public and religious spaces, considering, among other aspects, the history of tradition, church and theology. It is also linked to the Research Line of History and Theology, focused on the study of Church tradition, development of ecclesiastical and theological thought, among other correlated themes. Methodologically, this is a qualitative field research study that uses recorded interviews to collect testimonials, memories and reports of lived experiences, transforming it into historical documents. Therefore, the primary method applied is Oral History, involving literal transcription, applying thematic clipping, and interpreting it in the light of Discourse Analysis. The investigation concentrates on the subjectivity of social memory, prioritizing the study of present time, of marginalized groups and events that weren’t registered in written documents. The results demonstrate, firstly, that these women and their reports possess fundamental importance in the construction of German-Brazilian identities in Vale dos Sinos region. Secondly, it evidences how much the teachings received from mothers and grandmothers contributed to the generation of their cultural and religious identities, revealing women’s role as guardians and transmitters of people’s culture. Thirdly, the research shows that these women were and still are marginalized in their social context, because, although having had access to education to jobs, and careers, them being women and elderly results in their memories often not being legitimized , and their experiences being seen as only personal and irrelevant stories. However, one of the most significant contributions of this research is the preservation of memory through sensitive listening. By permitting that these women narrate their own experiences by understanding the nuances present in their narratives, it becomes possible to recognize their contribution to preserve the memory of the history of the place where they are located. Above all, the research contributes to the appreciation of these women as historical subjects and fundamental agents of history
