O trabalho voluntário espírita e a teoria da dádiva: uma etnografia no Centro Espírita Irmã Cáritas

Abstract

This article is a result of an ethnographical research made with a group of fifteen volunteer workers from the Centro Espírita Irmã Cáritas (CEIC), located on Julião Ramos (Laguinho), Macapá, during April and August 2017. I chose a qualitative approach, based on participative observation, individual interviews and photography registration. Besides the data collection on field, my analysis goes through the Gift Theory from the classic book “The Gift”, from Marcel Mauss (1924), later interpreted and developed by theoretical followers of the M.A.U.S.S (Anti-utilitarian Movement in the Social Sciences), such as Caillé (2002) and Godbout (1998). The main objective of this article is to understand how the relations between spiritist volunteers and families are made. The question that problematizes this work is: which conditions influences the long-lasting volunteer services towards the socially vulnerable families on the Perpétuo Socorro neighbor? My hypothesis is that the offered services are conducted by a social and religious responsibility which develops a vivid and strong bond network, lasting by its material and symbolical exchanges between volunteers and served families.