Abstract
Egodocuments are an excellent documentary type for the study of social and linguistic history. As they are not subject to mediation, correction, or interference by a secondary author, they are texts in which the author expresses his or her feelings just setting the pen to paper.
On the other hand, as their execution is focused on immediate communication, their dissemination is not considered, so they lack the filters of social or formal conventions. The aim of this research is to show the importance of considering egodocuments as a valuable material for the reconstruction of identity and the role played by the popular classes in Cuba, concentrating on the decades before Independence, in those accurate moments when the social and linguistic identity of a new nation was being formed.