Strategies for transnational projection through international book fairs

Abstract

The following article aims to analyze the projection and representation of literary systems in some of the main international book fairs (IBF) at present, based on theoretical-methodological proposals from the Sociology of Literature and Culture (Bourdieu in ARSS 145, 3–8, 2002; Sapiro Translatio. Le marché de la traduction en France à l’heure de la mondialisation, CNRS Éditions, 2008; Even-Zohar, Polisistemas de Cultura. Laboratorio de investigación de la cultura, 2017). We begin with the hypothesis of considering IBFs as places for the acquisition of capital (literary, cultural, economic and symbolic) and for negotiating struggles for positions of greater or lesser centrality in the transnational literary field and in the world publishing market, and in terms of the image of countries, cultures, or cities. In those IBFs offering the position of Guest of Honor, this becomes a privileged opportunity—for governments, institutions and different actors involved in the book chain—for the international projection of the image of a country, culture, city or literary system. Different strategies for cultural and literary promotion in this worldwide scenario of symbolic goods will be discussed, with special attention to the case of Brazil (contrasted, partly, with that of Spain).