A dimensão política do patrimônio cultural na constituinte de 1987-1988

Abstract

This thesis addresses the issue of cultural patrimony during the Brazilian National Constituent Assembly of 1987 and 1988, with regard to its insertion in the body of the text of the 1988 Constitution. The aim is to identify the actors involved and the direct and transversal discussions that focused on this theme during the most recent constitutional process in the history of the country. It also aims to understand the intricacies that have led to the final text of what we know today as article 216, the most important one of the Constitution of the Republic concerning the conceptualization of patrimony and the designation of means for its preservation and protection. Therefore, the present work has been built upon bibliography review, consultation to newspapers and searches through minutes of hearings and meetings held during the constitutional period. It is possible to observe that some conflicts have appeared during the discussions, but once the issue was directly debated, there was a tendency to conciliation, as a result from negotiations among the actors involved. This is a comprehensive article, with a broad concept of cultural patrimony, which investigated the National Constituent Assembly (ANC, for its acronym in Portuguese) as a political ambience, on the issue of patrimony, in order to reveal the most remarkable mediators, actors and requests, as well as the reflections of their actions. The claims for the recognition of cultures, identities and memories have been considered by the Constituent Assembly. Nevertheless, the economic perspective towards land property by groups of indigenous and black people, marginalized by public policies until then, has been treated as a less relevant issue, on one side as a clear avoidance of conflicts, on the other as an answer to incisive political forces.