Search

It is difficult to imagine the actual relevance of historical knowledge to social movements. Historians almost always refuse to conduct any kind of analysis on the historicity of rural struggles, arguing that, ultimately, history does not study the past to sell prophecies. We would, however, have to be particularly insensitive not to recognize the importance which history acquires in the legitimacy and legality of social movements, in particular those which were or are linked to the struggle for agricultural reforms. The issue, however, is far from simple for a series of reasons that I will attempt to explore in this article. In doing so, I analyze the subject of agricultural reform and the concept of the peasant during historic conjunctures from the 1960s to the 1990s. I depart from the presumption that it is possible to encounter several points of contact which explain the scant presence of history in academic reflections seeking to legitimize the role played by struggles in rural Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais is the property of Centro de Estudos Sociais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Dados - Revista de Ciências Sociais is the property of DADOS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)