Production of cultural inventories and collaborative methodologies: the perseverance collection as Brazilian cultural heritage

Abstract (English)

The main objective of this essay is to reflect on the process of recognition and preservation of a collection of Brazilian ethnographic objects. The Perseverance Collection is composed of objects representative of African-derived religions from the state of Alagoas, in Northeastern Brazil. The history of this ethnographic collection is directly linked to a traumatic event that involved the looting and destruction of part of these objects by the police of Alagoas. This event is known by local historiography as Quebra de Xangô [Destruction of Shango]. Currently, this collection is undergoing a process of recognition and preservation at national level, and the procedure is being carried out by the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN), through the application of a collaborative methodology, in which the representatives of the African-derived religions have been the main agents in the guiding process of heritage listing. We now present the history of this ethnographic collection and how IPHAN has used collaborative ethnographic methodologies in the process of listing and preserving this ethnographic collection.