Cisma religioso e disputa simbólica: tensão comunicacional no espiritismo brasileiro e panamericano

Abstract

This paper discusses the problem of symbolic struggle for hegemony of meaning in the religious field and the occurrence of schisms within the religious movement, taking the Brazilian spiritism as a typical case where the schism appears as a result of stresses of communicational cha¬racter. Finally, the Panamerican Spiritist Confederation- CEPA is presented as a case study.