Decolonizing sacred memory: Confronting the violence of Afro-Brazilian heritage preservation through the case of the Perseverance Collection

This article explores the symbolic and structural violence embedded in heritage preservation practices, focusing on the case of the Collection Persévérance held by the Historical and Geographical Institute of Alagoas (IHGAL). Through an anthropological lens and field-based research, it interrogates the epistemological, racial, and spiritual silencing imposed on Afro-Brazilian ritual objects when they are removed from their cosmological and liturgical contexts and confined within traditional museum logics. The analysis reveals how these preservation models, often rooted in colonial, elitist, and hygienist frameworks, continue to marginalize Afro-Brazilian religious knowledge and maintain historical hierarchies. The article also highlights the recent recognition of the Perseverance Collection as Brazilian Cultural Heritage by IPHAN, emphasizing the importance of shared management with religious leaders as a step toward decolonizing museological practices. Ultimately, the article questions whether the very act of preservation, when detached from community-led interpretations, can itself become a form of symbolic violence.