The Deceased Child and his Configuration as Little Angel. Northern Argentina and Southern Paraguay

Abstract

We present the results of the research on deceased children and their configuration as little angel (delimiting cases to spontaneous or natural abortions, children who died before delivery or shortly after birth) among the population of the Catholic faith, in the North of the Argentine Republic and the South of Paraguay. The ethnographic method, in-depth interviews and observations with different degrees of participation have been prioritized; the field work has been carried out between 2010 and 2018. We focus on the analysis on the ways of understanding, explaining and experiencing the death of the cases mentioned. We realize a particular way of constructing death in close connection to the emic category of little angel. In the types of death indicated, the post-mortem destiny will be the Third Heaven. The little angel will be given a special space in the universe of the dead. Being protector of the living, he is empowered to make the mediation relationships between the human and the sacred; namely: between men and God.