Discourse and Sense about to the Madeira River, Porto Velho, RO

Abstract

A river carries many forms of meaning along its course. Traditionally, human peoples have always sought to make their homes near fresh waters. In the Amazon, rivers are much more than a source of food. They are life, transport, communication, the formation of the riverside culture and the contact between man and nature. And when the river overflows, what does the media say? In 2014, in the historic Madeira River flood, Acre and Rondônia were hit by rising waters and the interruption of traffic on the BR-364. The flooding prevented the arrival of food and other necessary goods to the affected cities. The historic cycle of the flood closed without the direct loss of any human life, however, it demonstrated how political the river-people passage is when publicized by the media. The methodology of this research is discourse analysis, with Foucault's theories (2014); Pêcheux (2015); Gregolin (2000); Orlandi (2013); Maingueneau (2013; 2016); and Possenti (2009). The object of study are articles from archives of a newspaper printed in the city of Porto Velho (RO). The main result is that not only are the forces of the waters acting in the formation of society when the subject is an Amazonian river, there are also forces in dispute for social, economic and political power.