From the rapa to the registry

cordel literature as Brazil’s cultural heritage

Abstract

In 2018 the cordel literature was registered as intangible heritage of Brazil by the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan). This article discusses its patrimonialization, considering the record as
the result of a set of actions mobilized by several agents that for more than a century have promoted the diffusion of this genre as a form of cultural expression of Brazil. From the analysis published articles in newspapers, intellectual production and the inventory carried out by Iphan, this article recovers some meanings attributed to the cordel literature over time. Proscribed, considered a nefarious reading by police authorities and part of the intellectual elite, this genre was subjected to repression actions, such as the prohibition of sale and circulation of leaflets. However, the practices of repression have not cooled their  resence in the country through authors and readers who consider it an expression of popular voice, memory and national identity.