Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T13:54:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 francimarioVS.pdf: 1346865 bytes, checksum: 810543738183e622bbb82dcd04dc6143 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-03-23 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The present Master?s dissertation aims to study the practices of the rezadeiras, Brazilian women healers, through an anthropological perspective. Special attention will be given to the understanding of these practices as a dynamic process in relation to those women who heal in Cruzeta (Serid?, Rio Grande do Norte), where is located our ethnographic research. For this research, twenty four rezadeiras were contacted and colaborated with our work plan. Among them, two were pentecostal rezadeiras and another one was member of the Jurema cult, an afro-brazilian religious cult. Similarities among these women healers were perceived in the research process, mostly in terms of their learning process and the use of certain objects and ritual techniques. However, apparent differences among them gave us the chance for understanding and reflecting on the actual heterogeneity of this world of specialists. Furthermore, i tried to capture the relations between the rezadeiras and the therapeutic practices from health professionals or the religious practices of religious leaders (Catholic, pentecostal, etc). It is possible to ascertain about the complementarity between therapeutic practices from different cultural logics. This complementarity is also perceived through the religious interchanges and transits among different healers, including those who have different religious beliefs. In this work, rituals are also described and they are a crucial factor to the understanding of this particular religious and therapeutic practice conducted by women. Following these ideas, our basic aim is to understand how the rezadeiras make interpretations about health and illness, specially those ones which are particular associated with their practices, the so called "doen?as de rezadeiras" / A presente disserta??o aborda as pr?ticas das rezadeiras a partir de uma perspectiva antropol?gica, cuja aten??o estar? voltada para a compreens?o desta pr?tica como um processo din?mico, tendo Cruzeta (Serid?, RN) como contexto de pesquisa etnogr?fica. Para a realiza??o da pesquisa, contei com a colabora??o de vinte e quatro rezadeiras. Dentre elas, duas eram rezadeiras evang?licas e uma outra que era adepta do culto da jurema. As semelhan?as existentes entre as rezadeiras eram vis?veis, sobretudo em rela??o ao processo de aprendizagem e ao uso de certos objetos e t?cnicas rituais. No entanto, as diferen?as existentes possibilitaram a realiza??o de uma reflex?o acerca da pr?pria heterogeneidade do universo de especialistas. Al?m disso, tentei captar a rela??o das rezadeiras com as pr?ticas terap?uticas dos profissionais da biomedicina e as pr?ticas religiosas do padre e do pastor evang?lico. Pode-se constatar a complementaridade entre pr?ticas terap?uticas com l?gicas diferentes. Essa complementaridade tamb?m ? percebida a partir dos tr?nsitos religiosos compartilhados pelas rezadeiras evang?licas. Presente neste trabalho, a descri??o dos rituais tamb?m ? um fator primordial para a compreens?o das pr?ticas religiosa e terap?utica realizadas por estas mulheres. Diante do exposto, o nosso objetivo ? procurar entender como as rezadeiras interpretam a sa?de e a doen?a, sobretudo levando em considera??o as doen?as ditas de rezadeiras