Banca de DEFESA: MARIENE CAVALCANTE BORBA DE ALBUQUERQUE

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : MARIENE CAVALCANTE BORBA DE ALBUQUERQUE
DATE: 26/09/2025
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: xxx
TITLE:

"Do local saints perform miracles?" – The construction of Catholic monuments as tourist attractions in the municipalities of Crato (CE) and Barbalha (CE)

KEY WORDS:

religious monuments; tourist attractions; religious tourism; tourism governance.

PAGES: 209
BIG AREA: Ciências Sociais Aplicadas
AREA: Turismo
SUMMARY:

This thesis aims to analyze the articulation between the public, private, and ecclesial sectors in the governance of Catholic monuments, understood as mechanisms for fostering religious tourism in the municipalities of Crato (CE) and Barbalha (CE). The empirical field of the research encompasses the monuments of Our Lady of Fátima and Saint Anthony, erected in the Cariri region of Ceará, which is strongly influenced by Juazeiro do Norte, one of the main centers of religious tourism in Northeastern Brazil. This is a qualitative multiple-case study that examines the construction of religious monuments in different destinations. The choice of contiguous municipalities made it possible to observe how governance actions, whether divergent or convergent, undertaken by similar groups of social actors within the same context, influence in different ways the establishment of religious tourist attractions, resulting in distinct dynamics and outcomes. The study covers the period from 2014 to 2024, considering the inauguration of the first monument and the year of completion of the investigation. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, based on materials obtained from documentary and bibliographic research, semi-structured interviews, photographic records, and participant observation, which generated a field diary. The results indicate that the consolidation of religious tourist attractions, whether strongly rooted in the local context or even when not endogenous, depends on the incorporation of ritual and symbolic practices that confer meaning and authenticity to the space, in addition to adequate infrastructure. The findings reveal that religious monuments hold potential for tourist legitimation, provided they are supported by distinctive identity attributes. It is concluded that governance constitutes a decisive factor for the effectiveness of tourism activity, with the absence of articulation and the exclusive dependence on public management actions standing as barriers to its development. This highlights the need for a collaborative governance model within a process of horizontal articulation among the multiple social actors involved.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1117908 - MARIA LUCIA BASTOS ALVES
Interno - 2495866 - ALMIR FELIX BATISTA DE OLIVEIRA
Interna - 1841981 - JOSEMERY ARAUJO ALVES
Externo à Instituição - CHRISTIAN DENNYS MONTEIRO DE OLIVEIRA
Externa à Instituição - MARIA PAULA JACINTO CORDEIRO