This article reviews the previous studies on and proposes a new reading of brazilian rural messianic movements. The traditional sociological approach, oriented towards the research of explanations of structural nature, is opposed to the attempt of understanding the logic of symbolism, which is typical of the anthropological investigation. Finally, the perspectives stemming from historical anthropology and history of religions lead to a different view, based on the dialectical relationship between myth and history.
religious movements; rural messianism; history of religions; historical anthropology