As guardiãs das tradições culturais: As representações do feminino negro na obra Os Tambores de São Luís

Abstract

The object of this dissertation is the novel Os Tambores de São Luís, published in 1975 by the Maranhão writer Josué Montello. In terms of literary art, the novel is a memorial to black slavery and the multicultural facets of the city of São Luís do Maranhão. In this way, this research is developed in the light of Cultural and Feminist Studies, aiming to analyze the literary representation of the black female role in Ludovico society and in the Casa das Minas terreiro. In this sense, the black characters take on the role of guardians of cultural and religious traditions, standing out as identity and political subjects, who act in their own spaces, in the face of the imposition of a hegemonic (dominant) culture. To this end, the methodology used is qualitative, analytical and bibliographical, based on the studies of Chartier (1991), Ferreira (2013), Bhabha (1998), Burke (2003), Hall (2003; 2006), Pantoja (2001), Lélia Gonzalez (1984; 2020), Davis (2016) Badinter (1985) Sérgio Ferreti (2006; 2009; 2011), Mundicarmo Ferreti (1996; 2007; 2009), among others who theoretically supported the development of this study, giving emphasis and direction to the proposed subject. As a result, we realized that black women play a fundamental role in building and maintaining the communities in which they live. In addition, the terreiro is understood as a space for preserving black traditions and identity.