A religião como encantaria da linguagem

poética e conversão semiótica na cultura amazônica

Abstract

This article aims to present elements of the reflections and works of João de Jesus Paes Loureiro that contribute to a poetic theory of religion. To this end, a dialogue was established between three of this author's theoretical works: “Cultura Amazônica: uma poética do imaginário” (2000), “A Arte como Encantaria da Linguagem” (2017), and especially “A Conversão Semiótica na Arte e na Cultura” (2007). In these works, the author focuses on the linguistic structures of the cultural experiences and symbolic activities of the natives of the Amazon, creating authentic concepts and theories that are fruitful for understanding religion as a linguistic system within culture, particularly based on the concept of semiotic conversion, which constitutes the main theoretical axis in Paes Loureiro's work. Therefore, through a theoretical review and reconstruction, an explication of the theoretical-methodological foundations and the modes of operationalization created by the author was carried out, as well as, finally, a brief comprehensive exercise in articulating the concept of semiotic conversion in religious expressions during the Círio de Nazaré in Belém. The analysis demonstrated that religion can be understood, from the perspective of the author from Pará, from the point of view of its emergence as a sensitive, imaginal, and linguistic experience, as well as from the point of view of its intrinsic dynamism, which is reflected in the communicational sphere of culture.