As representações sociais de nordestinos em Manaus sobre o caboclo Amazônico

Abstract

The present work intends to know the social representations of Brazilian north-east men, residents in the city of Manaus, on the Amazonian caboclos. An analysis about the first meanings of caboclo reveals that it could be an original tupi word, which means the man who came from the forest . It was used so, to designate people called indigenous who, messy, started to live at towns. Caboclo is a word used in a hostile mean, and, according the community studies realized at the decade of 1940, it is a word which is always applied to other persons. However, from the decade of 1980 so far, caboclo seems to be a political term, used to indicate a identity supposed as original of the Amazonian rain forest. In this point of view, the pejorative meanings for caboclo would be no more than prejudice. In our approach we understand that stigmatized people can not be identified as real persons. So, the theory of social representations helps us to understand the process, and not only the product, presented in the construction of the caboclos identity. Initially, we thought we can not understand caboclo without considering the presence of the Brasilian north-east groups at Manaus. So we started to investigate the Brazilian north-east men representations because this group was supposed to be outside of the problem, and able to contribute with a non pejorative representation of caboclos. The nine interviews chosen here reveals that both social groups do not encounters each other directly. Reveals that even caboclo is elected as an Amazonian original identity, the people called as caboclos has no privileged condition. Reveals finally that even representations re-presents a concept historically well-made, also keeps stigmatization, treating the other in the condition of a stranger.