Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: : This article examines the concept of ‘lands of common use ‘ - a term from the Brazilian land tenure lexicon associated with ‘remanescentes de quilombo’ (‘Quilombo remnant community’) and ‘populações tradicionais’ (‘traditional populations’) - by looking at the experiences of Quilombola communities in the municipality of Floresta (Pernambuco, Brazil). This case study reveals how the legal framework separates ‘territory’ and ‘culture’ in the recognition of the rights of these groups. Having lived on land owned by their former patrons for generations, individuals who now self-declare as Quilombolas have come to view their own culture in accordance with a particular state-sanctioned grammar. However, they have thus far renounced the principal right to which they are entitled: the formal titling of a collective territory. At the same time, access to housing through federal government programmes has become the primary goal of groups organised under the Quilombola identity. Yet, the obstacles they face in securing homes expose the limits of translating Quilombola territory and culture into patrimonial terms. The ways they inhabit and live on the land are inseparable from their lived experiences and aspirations.
Institution: Universidade de São Paulo
Language: Portuguese
Topic: Land Rights and Reforms
Subfield: Soil Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7214328897