Twelfth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

We discuss the collections from interior Brazilian regions that are maintained by Museum of Ethnology and Archeology – University of São Paulo MAE-USP. The aim is to consider the formation of these collections, which contributions occurred by the particular collectors and, especially, to comprehend how a net of relationships appeared, which promoted the creation of them and the actual museological institutions maintenance. In these places, the collections are apprehended as documental group to serve the scientific and knowledge practices. Part of these collections came from another museum, the Paulista Museum - USP. Some of these objects are named as “sertanejos” – that is, something related or came from interior and unknown Brazilian regions – because they are composed of artifacts linked with unknown time and place, representing a Brazil seen as inhospitable, far from urban and civilized areas. The intention is to investigate the sacred objects pertaining to these collections named as “sertanejas”, in a way to do a study about the biography of the objects, and to study how the collectors participated in the collection formation process. The purpose reinforces the theoretical reflection about collecting and collections, particularly in Brazil, aggregating new research to this area, focused in collections named as “sertanejas” of MAE-USP, as well as interest in the biography of objects and collectors’ participation in these processes.