CORDEL LITERATURE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: A SPACE FOR PRODUCTION AND ENCOUNTERS

Abstract

The digital field can be seen in a polysemic way, with dynamics of control and surveillance, but also as a creative space for emerging new sociabilities. This paper emphasizes the second dimension, investigating the contributions of digital cultures to strengthening the social field of Cordel Literature (LC) in its articulations in networks, and in the dissemination and visibility of its social actors. LC, a traditional form of popular poetry from the northeast of Brazil, has been given a new lease of life on social media. Many poets publicize their projects on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to share their legacies and reach as many people as possible. In these social media, traditional verses of Literatura de Cordel circulate, but also adaptations for the digital environment, such as videos of poets reciting poems, and even real-time interactions with followers. This has

contributed to preserving the tradition, memory, and identity of the LC and its dissemination. This is a qualitative study that uses ethnography and participant observation to analyze the flow of interactions between some poets on social media. As a partial result, it was observed that social media offer powerful platforms for the dissemination and promotion of works of Cordel Literature, as well as an environment for meetings between poets and cordelistas in general.