Abstract
The main purpose of this article is to discuss the perceptions and practices of sectors pf the Brazilian public administration in situations classified as “sorcery”, “witchcraft” or “black magic”. To this end, we begin with empirical material about homicide crimes committed against boys in the states of Pará and Paraná, while also discussing other cases and studies which consider the relation between law, crime and magic. In particular, the analysis aims to highlight the central role of magic in the interpretation of crime, as well as the resulting sense of unease caused by the lack of instruments suited to understanding and dealing with the characteristics of this phenomenon. Examining the literature that relates violence with religion, I argue that if one assumes that “black magic” is the cause of brutal crime against children, then certain brands of violence are perceived as “excessive” - something which goes beyond the rational understanding of the police and judicial systems. The article, therefore, intends to add to other works that demonstrate that rationality is a project, one which is always unfinished, and frequently traversed and called into question by the impossibility of providing explanations which pacify social longings, especially those arising from the concern around the broader concept of “evil”, which includes inexplicable violence as an important dimension.
Key words:
Crime; Violence; Justice; Sorcery accusations; Childhood