Comparative Literature. Mato Grosso Dramaturgy. Historical Memory and Collective Memory. Civil-Military Dictatorship. Theatre of Resistance.
This dissertation, developed within the Graduate Program (Stricto Sensu) in Literary Studies – Master’s level, at the State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), investigates the dramaturgies “ Gudibai, Meu Boizinho” (1983), by Luiz Carlos Ribeiro, and “A Dança dos Tangarás “(1984), by Amauri Tangará, written in the context of the Brazilian Civil-Military Dictatorship. Adopting a historical-memorial perspective, the study analyzes how these dramaturgical works articulate historical memory and collective memory as forms of symbolic resistance to repression, censorship, and silencing strategies imposed by the authoritarian regime. In light of Comparative Literature, the texts are examined intertextually, seeking to identify aesthetic, thematic, and ideological convergences and divergences between the two dramaturgies. The sign of the Boi-à-Serra, a central element of Mato Grosso folklore, constitutes the guiding thread of the analysis, understood as a sign of collective resistance, memory, popular tradition, and regional cultural identity. The analysis considers theatre as a space of political and symbolic resistance, particularly in the face of the mechanisms of censorship and repression in force during the period. Methodologically, the study combines bibliographic research, semiotic literary analysis of the dramatic texts, and intertextual comparative reading, aiming to understand how the authors develop aesthetic strategies to denounce institutional violence, preserve collective memory, and affirm popular cultural values. The theoretical framework is grounded in Comparative Literature (Carvalhal; Nitrini), studies on Collective and Historical Memory (Maurice Halbwachs), Dialogism and Carnivalization (Mikhail Bakhtin), Reception Theory (Hans Robert Jauss; Wolfgang Iser), and Textual Semiotics (Diana Luz Pessoa de Barros), among other theoretical contributions. The results indicate that both plays construct an engaged dramaturgy in which the “Boi-à-Serra” assumes symbolic centrality as a metaphor for sacrifice, resistance, and cultural permanence, engaging both with the authoritarian context of the 1980s and with contemporary challenges to democracy and culture. It is concluded that the analyzed works constitute important records of the historical and cultural memory of Mato Grosso, contributing to the recognition and valorization of regional dramaturgy within the field of Literary Studies.