Influência da História Familiar na Construção da Identidade Social Religiosa

Abstract

This study aims to understand how ancestry influences the construction of religious representation and identity among individuals. It also examines how ancestry contributes to the shaping of individuals' religious representation and how it relates to their social religious identity. For this purpose, the study employs the Theory of Social Representations and the Theory of Social Identity as its theoretical framework and delves into social memory. The qualitative research includes three religious groups - Spiritist, Catholic, and Candomblé practitioners - as well as an atheist group, with 12 participants from each group. The research tool is a focused, semi-structured interview, and data analysis is performed through Content Analysis. The results indicate that family influence plays a role in the formation of social religious identity and social representations of religion. However, family is not the sole source of influence for such identity and representations, as the religious institution itself, culture, and socio-political issues also resonate in the representations of religious groups and in the construction of their social identities. This study is expected to contribute to a better understanding of Brazilian religious beliefs and provoke reflections on the role of family, culture, institutions, and socio-politics in the construction of social representations.