Duas Vidas de Chico: uma análise biográfica de Francisco Cândido Xavier.

Abstract

This research aimed to problematize Spiritism, knowing its origin and expansion, focusing on a biographical analysis of the medium Francisco Cândido Xavier, popularly known as Chico Xavier. In the analysis, it was tried to make a connection between the social actor and the medium, trying to understand the factors related to the Spiritism that preceded Chico Xavier and how the medium gained so much notoriety with the mediumship. This process was carried out from the reading and analysis of two written biographies about the medium, which are: "The Man Who Spoke with Spirits" by author Luis Eduardo de Souza and "The Lives of Chico Xavier" by author Marcel Souto Maior. When comparing the two works, it is intended to show how two different subjects developed their constructions about the same character; one being a religious and the other a researcher, seeking to understand the motives that lead people to write biographies about Chico Xavier. For this to be better detailed, in addition to the two biographies, we seek the theoretical contributions of Pierre Bourdieu and Giovanni Levi bringing concepts of biography, as well as Michel de Certeau, showing the importance of the social place within the research. Thus, we tried to understand the different versions presented by each of the biographers in question, in order to analyze Chico Xavier as a historical man.