Banca de DEFESA: BRUNA JANINE CABALLERO BEZERRA DE MELO

THE TWO FACES OF TIME IN “DIFERENÇA ENTRE LO TEMPORAL Y ETERNO”, BY JUAN EUSEBIO NIEREMBERG

Time (Ephemeral-Eternal); Baroque; spanish colonization; Paraguay; Juan Eusebio Nieremberg.

This thesis is a study on the theme of time, based on the work 'De la diferencia entre lo temporal, y eterno; crisol de desengaños, con la memoria de la eternidade, postrímerias humanas y principales mysterios divinos' by Father Juan Eusebio Nieremberg. In this research, the objective is to demonstrate the presence of the Baroque alongside the approach to time, from its metaphysical perspective, respecting the historical context that preceded the colonization process, namely, the economic and sanitary crisis established between the 14th and 15th centuries, and the different expeditions in the conquest of America, with emphasis on the case of Paraguay, which, combined with the Spanish desire for expansion and acquisition of wealth, encouraged colonization. To achieve this, the research undertook a historical-literary analysis based on authors such as Morais (2011), Raminelli (2009; 2011; 2023), Acreche (2017), Schell (2010), among others, to understand the origins and development of the colonization process in light of Spanish expeditions. The first chapter proposed an overview of the antecedents of colonization, emphasizing cultural, economic, and social aspects, as well as the development and actions of colonizers in Paraguay. Furthermore, before reflecting on the issue of time itself, the third chapter was dedicated to addressing the historical concepts of the time regarding Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries, the colonization of Latin America, the Society of Jesus, the reductions, and the ideological context of the domination process of the native people, especially in Latin America. Subsequently, the fourth chapter contributed to the analysis of time as the main characteristic of the work under review, starting from the theoretical perspective of Saint Augustine, in a dialogical perspective for Christianity and Western culture, to the contribution of the concept of time in the view of modern theorists. Finally, we delved into the concepts of historical Baroque, highlighting the relationship between Baroque and time (the ephemeral and the eternal) in the specific analysis of Father Nieremberg's work. A bibliographic research was conducted through the collection and review of published works on the theories addressed, directing the study and analysis of the literary work in question. For a critical and relevant discussion, Mahn-Lot (1990), Gil (2010), and Fleck (2023) were used to assist in the analysis of the aforementioned book at the beginning of this abstract. As a result, the second chapter, through the relationship between history and literature, provided a new perspective on the process of colonization of Spanish America, with emphasis on the case of Paraguay through the actions of Nieremberg, namely, that the relations between the colonizer and the indigenous people were not solely oppressive. In the third chapter, we concluded that the missionary experience of the Jesuits was in line with the interests of the Spanish crown and the Catholic Church, making the evangelization of the natives function as a mechanism for recruiting new believers, while opening possibilities for the expansion of Jesuit educational mechanisms in the way colonizers dealt with the indigenous people. In the fourth chapter, we concluded that the concept of time permeates all of human history and plays a crucial role in the emergence and development of the Catholic religion from the perspectives pointed out by Saint Augustine, which, over time, became the subject of Jesuit discourses, where they made the distinction between "ephemeral" and "eternal" time.