Literary Circulation as a Social Practice

The Experience of the Book Exchange

Abstract

This report presents Escambo de Livros (Book Exchange), a social technology consolidated over more than ten years of activity in urban communities of Salvador, Bahia. Created in 2013 by the collective Navegue no Bem, Escambo is structured as a Social Technology (ST) aimed at expanding literary circulation through the establishment of physical and itinerant points for the free exchange of books. Acting as a community-based alternative to the commercial logic of book distribution, the initiative redefines the reading experience through horizontal sharing and participant autonomy. With over a decade of trajectory, the project mobilizes local networks and institutional partnerships, serving as a catalyst for reader formation and the strengthening of sociocultural bonds. This report brings together evidence of the initiative’s impact, details its methodology for replication and social sustainability, and discusses its relevance to the field of social management and innovations in reading and cultural policies. Escambo de Livros stands out as an action that fosters access to reading and promotes practices of bibliodiversity in popular territories and public spaces.