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Abstract

The study presents the narratives in folders and other tourist materials in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, investigating the dynamics of construction of this material and its relationship with representations of Rio Grande do Sul and the figure of the gaucho. Especially when it comes to the stereotypes that define the state as a destination that maintains the “tradition” and being “Europe in Brazil”. Through the study, it was possible to establish an outline of the power relations engendered in the tourist narrative and the way in which it is built from the articulation with a wide range of public and private institutions in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. For this, the trajectory of these state institutions and the actors inserted in the sociotechnical networks and their interests are presented. Thus, the people who have the power of speech and decision-making in these processes, which includes managers of the Secretary of Tourism and Culture of Rio Grande do Sul, and their direct relationship with institutions that reinforce these narratives, as is the case of cultural, museological and heritage institutions and the direct articulation of these institutions with agencies that promote gaucho traditionalism (even their insertion in other institutions through public office). This relationship allowed that for almost a century, traditionalist and/or farroupilha-focused interests of the rancher class were put on the agenda in public policies, from legislation to specific cultural projects. Thus, through tourist advertising, museum exhibitions, heritage listings, press, events, educational actions, etc. it was possible to insert the stereotyped narrative in the cultural policies of the state. In this way, the interests of the network have been excluding when prioritizing: race, gender, class, territory and specific temporality. The method used was virtual ethnography through the analysis of tourist dissemination materials, interviews, comments and interactions on social networks and other sites. It is proposed that the study makes it possible to think about more inclusive public policies, together with the community, so that groups made invisible by the official narrative can also reformulate it, thus eliminating these selection and exclusion processes.