WRITTEN CULTURE, LITERATE PRACTICES AND CIVILIZATION. THE ORGANIZATION OF SPACE IN THE VILLAGE OF SÃO JOSÉ DE RIBAMAR OF THE CAPTAINITY OF SIARÁ GRANDE (AQUIRÁZ, 1727-1759)

Abstract

This article investigates the activities of the Society of Jesus in the village of São José de Ribamar in the former Captaincy of Siará Grande, between the years 1727 and 1759. Through historical documentation from the period, the Jesuit missionary work in favor of organizing the physical and social space of the village during the early Portuguese colonization was observed. Educated in a Written Culture that requires discipline for missionary action, the Jesuits played a fundamental role in those circumstances as the religious arm of the Portuguese State to expand the interests of the Crown. It was identified that the Society of Jesus, as well as the Portuguese administrators, made use of Literate Practices as a routine action to advance the Portuguese civilizing project through the education of the indigenous people, directly interfere in the choice of locations where colonial power markers should be built, and influence the physical-social distribution of the village. The reasons that led to the relocation of the Jesuit missionaries to the region will be analyzed here.