States of Grace

States of Grace offers a novel approach to the study of Brazilian culture through the lens of utopianism. Patrícia I. Vieira explores religious and political writings, journalistic texts, sociological studies, and literary works that portray Brazil as a utopian "land of the future," where dreams of a coming messianic age and of social and political emancipation would come true. The book discusses crucial utopian moments such as the theological-political utopia proposed by Jesuit Priest Antônio Vieira; matriarchal utopias, like the egalitarian society of the Amazons; work-free utopias that abolished the boundaries separating toil and play; and ecological utopias, where humans and nonhumans coexist harmoniously. The uniqueness of the book's approach lies in rethinking the link between messianic and utopian texts, as well as the alliances forged between progressive religious, socioeconomic, political, and ecological ideas.

Introduction: A Land of Utopias

1. The Theologico–Political Utopia of Father Antônio Vieira

2. Amazons in the Amazon: Communitarian Matriarchy in the Jungle

3. Zoophytographia: Interspecies Literature and the Writings of Clarice Lispector

4. Idling in the Tropics: Utopias of Leisure

Epilogue: The Country of the Future

Notes
Works Cited
Index