Presentation: Land, work and conflicts

Abstract

The dossier highlights the importance of the work "History of Agriculture: Combates e Controvérsias" (1981), by Maria Yedda Leite Linhares and Francisco Carlos Teixeira da Silva, which was fundamental for studies of agrarian history in Brazil, especially during the military dictatorship. The book opened up new possibilities for research on rural areas, using documents of a land, economic and social nature. From the 1990s and 2000s, with computerization and greater access to primary sources, rural studies gained strength, adopting approaches from the British New Left and highlighting the role of poor workers, indigenous people and quilombolas. The articles gathered in the dossier address land conflicts, agrarian policies and colonization practices in Brazil, reflecting cultural diversity and struggles for land ownership. This research shows a rural universe marked by conflicts and resistance, challenging old urban and industrialist prejudices.