O nordeste na poesia de Patativa do Assaré : cultura popular e identidade regional

Abstract

This undergraduate thesis aims to analyze how the poetry of Patativa do Assaré represents Northeastern Brazilian popular culture and regional identity, focusing on the poems Vida Sertaneja, Sou Cabra da Peste and Cante Lá que Eu Canto Cá. The research is grounded in theoretical contributions by authors such as Câmara Cascudo, Lígia Chiappini, Stuart Hall, and Antonio Candido, articulating concepts of culture, memory, orality, and identi. The literatura de cordel, brought to Brazil through Iberian tradition and consolidated in the Northeast, is an artistic expression marked by orality, simple language, and a strong social function in preserving popular knowledge. In this context, Patativa do Assaré stands out as one of the most representative voices of Northeastern culture, portraying in his verses the daily life of the sertanejo, his struggles, beliefs, labor, faith, and resilience in the face of adversity.The analysis of the selected poems reveals cultural and historical elements that shape Northeastern identity, such as rural life, festivities and traditions, popular religiosity, regional language, and the pride of belonging. Patativa’s work transcends descriptive regionalism, providing a critical view of social reality, denouncing inequalities, and valuing the wisdom of common people. His poetry reaffirms the importance of orality and collective memory as foundations of cultural identity, in line with the theoretical perspectives of Hall (2006) and Candido (2006). Thus, the study concludes that Patativa do Assaré’s poetry functions as an instrument of cultural resistance, reinforcing the role of the sertanejo as a protagonist of his own history and strengthening cordel literature as an essential element of Brazilian cultural heritage. His work remains alive and relevant, transmitting values, traditions, and sentiments that characterize the Northeast as a space of struggle, dignity, and. belonging