The “Regions” Between the Lines of Political Work: Social Bases and Parliamentarians’ Written Production (MG, PE, RS and MA)

Abstract

This article is included in the agenda of studies on the “double art of
playing” of Brazilian parliamentarians, whose political careers combine
incursions in cultural domains. The unfolding we propose here is
to understand the logics ruling the work of production and mobilization
– inseparably as political trump and affirmation of an intellectual
condition – of images and identifications linked to the regional configurations
of agents’ performance. Following findings and varied sources
of information, we seek to collate cases of Minas Gerais, Pernambuco,
Rio Grande do Sul and Maranhão. The emphasis is on the analysis
of profiles and written production, punctuating elements that allow us
to reflect on how certain professionals produce symbolic good, founding
representations on the “regions” consonant with the representations
they forge upon themselves and even grounding their potential
as spokesmen authorized to describe, prescribe and represent (in both
ways) causes, individuals, groups and frontiers.
Keywords: Profiles. Politicians. Intellectuals. Regional identities.