Territórios, Territorialidades e Lutas Sociais na Amazônia Oriental

Abstract

The book discusses the study of territorialities in the Bico do Papagaio mesoregion. New forces and strategies have been emerging as power forces and have inserted themselves in the region. This process is happening due to the creation of public policies and through cultural representations that go beyond state frontiers, promoting the relationship between states and creating a mesoregional unity. This book shows that there are many interrelations of power territoriality involving subjects with different identities of territory, companies, and the Brazilian State, through programs, projects, public policies and the work of public institutions. Specially after the beginning of the military dictatorship, the thinking of the Brazilian State about territory matters is one that has been making plans to and actually using this territory for purposes that are almost always related to the production of commodities. As a result of the actions of the Brazilian State in this territory, it’s possible to observe certain domains (mining companies, hydroelectric plants, livestock farms) working their territorialities with the aim to profit from the exhaustive exploration of the Empreso Brás territory. On the other hand, there are the Landless Workers' Movement (MST) and the quilombolas (descendants of Afro-Brazilian fugitive slaves) who have a completely different approach. Through the years these territorialities produced many collective strategies of power. All these strategies – unions, associations, cooperations, education - are connected to social networks which go beyond the Bico do Papagaio territory. They produce a unique territory, with territorialities and subjects who over the decades, in solidarity, have been empowering themselves to resist the transformations that the Brazilian State makes to the territory, transformations that are in line with the objectives of the national and international capital.