Globalization in the Brazilian Amazon Region: Conflicting Answers from “Quilombo” Communities

Abstract

the assumption that they would maintain their traditional way of life, with low impact on the ecosystems (Diegues, 1996). On the other hand, they are more and more connected to global markets and information technology, and have access to a greater mobility. They face the challenge of improving their living conditions by developing their economic activities. Globalization in this sense should not be understood as a single threat. Isolated forest communities have acquired the chance to access better rural living conditions. But traditional communities are confronted by a "double bind" situation: economic development and the extension of contemporary ecological ideology.

New Perspectives on Mobility, Urbanisation and Resource Management in Riverine Amazônia

“…In this context, the great advances in the official recognition of collective land‐use rights in Brazil have been instrumental in enabling families to combine rural and urban strategies. By providing security in land tenure arrangements, territorial and/or group membership recognition may allow individuals to leave their homes for a relatively long period of time without losing their rights (Kohler et al, ). Families who employ multi‐sited organisation tend to maintain several types of land and resource rights in different places (e.g.…”

“…Conversely, associating recognition of collective rights to resources, identity, conservation policies and place‐based residence may also create tensions and contradictions (Kohler et al, ). As has been observed of an indigenous territory in the border areas of Peru and Bolivia (Peluso and Alexiades, ), the reaffirmation of resource rights and traditional identities is usually tied to (and financed by) conservation policies that promote the image of wilderness and local environmental stewardship, which may enhance but also challenge the ability of local communities to adapt their resource management systems, especially in an urbanising context.…”

“…These resources include food items such as fruits, fish, oils and remedies, as well as fibres, timber, gold and cattle. The extension of social networks between traditional territories and urban areas facilitates the insertion of economic interests from the cities, as in northern Pará (Padoch et al, 2008;Kohler et al, 2011). Increasingly, families organise themselves in order to link the production of resources in the forest to different commercialisation niches, bypassing intermediaries whenever possible (Brondizio, 2013).…”

La construction de territoires multisitués en Amazonie

“…Toutefois, depuis les années 1980, les déplacements entre zones rurales perdent de l'importance face au développement des relations S. Nasuti, L. Eloy, F.-M. Le Tourneau villes-campagnes : les systèmes résidentiels et les mobilités reposent de façon croissante sur la ville, dont l'attractivité relève des services et des emplois qu'elle dispense aujourd'hui (Kohler et al, 2011 ;Eloy, Lasmar, 2012).…”

“…Depuis 1995, des espaces forestiers ont été progressivement reconnus par l'État comme des propriétés collectives attribuées à ces communautés. Depuis 2006, les propriétés attribuées aux Quilombolas sont également considérées comme une nouvelle catégorie d'aire protégée (Kohler et al, 2011 ;Eloy et al, sous presse), dont la gestion revient aux populations locales.…”