PPGAS PhD student receives main research award in Social Sciences in Brazil

Ascom CCHLA
The doctoral student of the Postgraduate Program in Anthropology (PPGAS/UFRN), Taisa Lewintzki, was one of the three finalists from the South/Central-West region of the 2020 Works, Theses and Dissertations Competition, competing with the dissertation entitled “The life of the healers: paths and movements”, the result of her master's research in Anthropology carried out in the Postgraduate Program in Anthropology and Archeology (PPGAA) from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR).
The ethnographic study on the lives of faith healers won the UFPR Short Science Award in the Anthropology and Archeology category and an honorable mention in the ANPOCS (National Association of Postgraduate and Research in Social Sciences) 2020 award, in the dissertations category. The ANPOCS award is the main award for Social Sciences in Brazil.
Today a doctoral student at PPGAS/UFRN, under the guidance of Prof. Francisca Miller (UFRN), Taisa Lewintzki, carried out field research in the center south of Paraná, in traditional cleaning communities, villages, rural communities and neighborhoods of small cities, under the guidance of Dr. Liliana Mendonça Porto (UFPR) and Prof. Dr. Antonio de la Peña (UNILA).
The research results highlighted the importance of faith healers in maintaining life and promoting popular health in the region.
Taisa's dissertation was also a reference in the preparation of State Law project No. 877/2017, which resulted in State Law No. 19,689/2018, which recognizes faith healers as Intangible cultural heritage of the State of Paraná.