"Panelas que muito mexem": o guisado da cultura política do Brasil à luz da literatura de cordel.

Abstract

This thesis aims at identifying and analyzing the main characteristics of the Brazilian political culture through its practices and representations. The research is bibliographical and used as its main source the string literature. Since its origin, the Brazilian String Literature has devoted much of its production to political issues, expressing in an ironic and satirical way the popular interest and impression about politics and its practices. The methodology, which can be seen throughout the analysis, focuses on the most remarkable aspects of the research, that is to show, by considering the string literature production, how the political imaginary can be build from the images of politicians, vote, elections, parties, corruption and female participation. It also questions the stereotyped ideas about what is conventionally thought about Brazilians: "these people do not know how to vote", “Brazilians have no political awareness", "they are easily handled”, “every politician is corrupt and a thief", “all politicians buy votes and elect themselves by manipulating the unwary people”, and, as a consequence, Brazilian people see the political events with indifference and apathy. The study of political culture through the String literature allowed us to reconsider the current thought about the apparent indifference and alienation of the Brazilian people regarding political matters. In our incursion into the string literature, however, we identified some general characteristics of the political culture that led us to conclude that among people there is some tolerance concerning corruption. We also found out that politics, the state and politicians are perceived in a personalist way and that the politician figure is seen as an agent that can change Brazilian reality. Thus, on one hand, Brazilian politicians represent people‟s hope and aspiration, but, on the other hand, they attract great aversion for they are commonly blamed for all economic and social decline of the country. The politician, then, is viewed with suspicion for he is considered someone whose practices are permeated by corruption. The parties are seen only as a means to come to power and are not regarded as a prerequisite to vote for a particular candidate; this means that there is a focus on the candidate rather than on the party. Voters, in general, do not feel responsible for the changes in their country; instead, they always delegate to others their responsibility of change. Previous governments are held responsible for the obstacles found by the current government to fulfill what was promised in election period. The vote is seen as a currency trading and the election as a burlesque moment in which the voters negotiate their individual and collective interests.