Para além das identidades e fronteiras: a lógica somatória e a pluralidade religiosa guineense (séculos XVI e XVII)

Abstract

This dissertation aims to analyze the sociocultural plurality that existed in the region of the Casamansa, São Domingos, and Grande rivers (now southern Senegal and northern Guinea-Bissau) during the 16th and 17th centuries, with an emphasis on religious aspects. Through research into Portuguese letters and treaties, as well as the chronicle of Tarikh Mandinka de Bijini, it analyzes how local identity groups reacted to the expansion and influence of Islam, making it an important pillar of the societies analyzed. Through a thorough reading and cross-referencing of sources, the study seeks to highlight the agency of the Guinean peoples, understanding how they developed Islamic precepts without abandoning their endogenous religious traditions. It is proposed that religious culture in this space operated through a “summative logic,” allowing for coexistence and religious pragmatism rather than exclusive conversion. Finally, the research highlights the role of local groups as central agents in shaping a religious dynamism that resists and underpins contemporary Guinean society.