A construção psicossocial das cirurgias espirituais à luz do caso José Arigó: a perpetuação da crença nas práticas religiosas de cura

Abstract

This study analyzes the perpetuation of belief in religious healing practices, even in the face of sociocultural transformations such as secularization and the advancement of biomedicine. The research is based on the case of the medium José Arigó, who, between 1950 and 1970, performed spiritual surgeries claiming to incorporate the spirit of the physician Adolf Fritz, using knives and pocketknives, without anesthesia or asepsis, with numerous reports of successful outcomes. Using a qualitative, bibliographic and documentary approach, primary sources and emic works were analysed, in addition to academic studies on the subject. The investigation was grounded in the sociology of knowledge and religion as a social construction - Berger and Luckmann, in the concept of anomalous experiences - Machado and Zangari, in symbolic efficacy, rituals, and performance - Lévi-Strauss, and in the subjective dimension of religious experience - William James. The aim was to understand how Arigó became a element of belief in extraordinary healing, his influence on the relationship between religion, health, and anomalous experience, and how his charisma and ritual practices contributed to the symbolic efficacy and social legitimation of his actions. The research also seeks to reflect on the psychosocial construction of belief, its meaning in spiritist contexts, and its impact on people’s lives