Musealization get under someone's skin: Reflections on the “discursive explosion” around the display of cangaço remains at the Museu Estácio de Lima, Salvador/Bahia

Abstract

The paper investigates one of the central moments of the debate on the musealization of remains humans in Brazil, from the comparison of different narratives around the human spoils of cangaço displayed until the 1960s at the Museu Estácio de Lima in Salvador, Bahia. To this end, it contextualizes the discursive plot that legitimized the musealization of the "collection of heads" and examines the arguments of relatives of cangaceiros and scientists worked in the museum. It highlights the ethical and political dilemmas of this fact that culminated in the elaboration of the Law No. 2,867 / 1965 of the House of Representatives. The analyzes show strategies of archiving, fabrication and consecration of legacy about cangaço and the different narratives built around human spoils in museums in that context.