Os desdobramentos da memória: Sepé Tiaraju e o imaginário missioneiro

Abstract

This Master's thesis draws on the theoretical and methodological framework of Materialist Discourse Analysis, which explores language's ideological functioning. Using the theoretical and methodological scope, we examine monuments that stand out in the urban space of the Missões region of Rio Grande do Sul as representations of the indigenous leader Sepé Tiaraju. Sepé led the Jesuit-Guarani resistance against the Spanish and Portuguese armies that demanded the expulsion of the indigenous people from the Sete Povos das Missões. This ultimately resulted in the Guerra Guaranítica between 1753 and 1756. Our research objective was to comprehend the meaning generated by Sepé Tiaraju monuments in urban spaces, as these monuments are socially constructed and affected by political and ideological factors. We aimed to explore the effects of these monuments on the surrounding community and their cultural significance. It means, our task was to clarify the meanings expressed by the monuments and shed light on the functioning of interdiscourse, based on the positions that subject assume and sustain discursively, considering the socio-historical conditions of their production. The focus given to the monument in this research has opened up space for reflection on the functioning of memory, the construction of narratives and identities that link the figure of Sepé Tiaraju to the missionary imaginary. Finally, based on the analyses carried out, we understand how these monuments that remember/commemorate Sepé are discursivized in the urban space, producing effects that occur in and through language.