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Vade retro Satana: the theological-political project of retaking of exorcism in Italy (1980-2013)

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Author(s):
Tiago Pires
Total Authors: 1
Document type: Doctoral Thesis
Press: Campinas, SP.
Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas
Defense date:
Examining board members:
Eliane Moura Silva; Maria Cristina Pompa; Ana Rosa Cloclet da Silva; Mairon Escorsi Valério; Carlos André Silva de Moura
Advisor: Eliane Moura Silva
Abstract

The purpose of this research refers to the effort to locate, understand and provide a historical-cultural sense for the revival of a practice that never completely disappeared from the European Catholic scene, but that resurged in a particular way in Italian postwar context. The central question of this investigation is to understand how exorcism and diabolical possession in the Catholic world have returned (as narrative and rituality), especially since the 1980s, being Italy the privileged place for its resurgence. Specifically, we aim to analyze how this return relates to the social context and to the theological-political project elaborated by Italian exorcists, which aimed to recover, once again, the credibility of exorcism in society and in the ecclesiastical institution itself. From a historical-cultural perspective, we have chosen as central documentation the literature produced by Italian exorcists and other ecclesiastical documents related to the subject, articles from the main Italian newspapers from 1980-2013, a fieldwork on the annual course on exorcism in Rome and other complementary sources produced by groups persecuted by the "diabolizing" view of the Catholic Church. Thus, exorcism and possession are consolidated not only as ritual procedures, but as social scenarios involving subjective, cultural, and theological-political issues (AU)

FAPESP's process: 15/02226-1 - Vade retro Satana: exorcism, possession and contemporary Catholicism in Italy (1980-2013)
Grantee:Tiago Pires
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate