The rebellious tradition and peasant resistance in the face of capitalist and state siege in Southeastern Para.

Abstract

The peasants of Southeastern Pará, as in much of Brazil, have always had to fight and resist the expropriation practices of the dominant Brazilian classes. In this struggle, a rebellious tradition emerged, capable of securing hundreds of Settlement Projects through persistent resistance. As this text will demonstrate, this is a living tradition, one that adapts to the demands of confronting historical circumstances and the characteristics of the enemies of the moment—land grabbers, the state apparatus, cattle ranchers, soybean farmers, mining corporations, and others. New tactics are incorporated to address the intensification of capital's territorialization (as seen in capitalist mining), new state policies that facilitate land appropriation by large enterprises, and the renewed militarization of the Brazilian countryside. Within this context of escalating spatially expansive accumulation, the text will analyze the decline in the mobilization capacity of social movements, including periods of retreat, as well as the emergence of new strategies to confront mining companies.