Dunga Rodrigues e a construção da identidade regional em Mato Grosso : um estudo multifacetado das instituições culturais e da obra literária

Abstract

The present research, “Dunga Rodrigues and the Construction of the Regional Identity in Mato Grosso: A Multifaceted Study of Cultural Institutions and Literary Work”, initially presents, on a microscopic scale, Maria Benedita Deschamps Rodrigue’s life trajectory (1908-2001), best known as Dunga Rodrigues. With emphasis on the emergence and performance of this character in the literary of Cuiabá, as a writer and a memorialist and through the analysis of her literary writings, this project aims to understand the ways of life and dwelling in Cuiabá, through a multifaceted study of the cultural institutions and the associative practices collected from the registers of the Literary Guild “Júlia Lopes”, Historical and Geographic Institute of Mato Grosso, Letras Academy of Mato Grosso, and the Federal University of Mato Grosso, by bringing together the discursive productions in the scope of History and Memory. In this respect, we strived to walk the route of “cuiabania”, that is, – of daily life in Cuiabá and the ways of living and dying in a neighborhood – mainly, the Porto area of the city. We highlight that Dunga Rodrigues, was an attentive observer of the customs and daily life of the portenha families; of the emotional ties and the houses open to neighbors. We also verify, through Dunga Rodrigues’ analyses of memories, especially in the publication of “Coleção Memória Social da Cuiabania”, after the 1970s, the writer’s concern with “the invasion of outsiders”, due to the economic and capitalist advent, called “progress”, in a context characterized by arbitrary State policies – with the incentive to occupy “geographic voids” and the invasion of indigenous lands – which provoked an intense and vigorous migratory process for the Center-Western region. Generally speaking, the historical context started to influence the creation of literary works and artistic and cultural manifestations, by a group made up of intellectuals, affected by “cuiabania” causes. The group began to advocate in favor of “genuine things”, under strong allegations that the customs, culture and the daily life of Cuiabá were threatened, mainly due to the “invasion of outsiders” – of those called “paus-rodados” (people who were not originally from Cuiabá). Thus, to understand Dunga Rodrigues’ literary writings means to enter deeply, into the intellectual universe of Cuiabá, in this special case, through the eyes of a cuiabana author and that for the “cuiabania” segment – political, economic and cultural elite of Cuiabá –, the writer´s literary, poetic, playful, irreverent speech, put her in the special category of a very important “symbol of cuiabania”. Ultimately, Dunga Rodrigues sought to cultivate the social cultural values of Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil as she brought with her “slivers” of time and history in her “pieces” of memories – the authentic record of the spirit of the time –, collaborating to the registration of the cultural captive of this segment of society: the cuiabania.