The brazilianists are coming

foreign researchers contributions for cordel literature in Brazil in the second half of the 20th century

Abstract

Cordel literature appeared in the Northeast of Brazil at the end of the 19th century with the main support of booklets, with narratives of various themes. Throughout the 20th century, it was the subject of several researchers who sought to understand the world view of the popular classes. In the second half of the 20th century Cordel began to receive the attention of foreign researchers called “brazilianists”. These researchers came with financial support from their institutions of origin, which enabled them to travel around Brazil, visiting fairs, house of poets and acquiring booklets for the constitution of collections. This article proposes to analyze the contribution of Brazilianists to Cordel literature studies in Brazil from five authors: Raymond Cantel, Mark Curran, Joseph Luyten, Candace Slater and Martine Kunz. We understand that it is not possible to approach the historiography of Cordel without making references to the studies of these authors, who brought new perspectives to the understanding of the Brazilian Cordel.