Journal of Peasant Studies | October 2015

JPS 42(6), special issue: Brazilian Agrarian Social Movements

Guest Editors: Rebecca Tarlau and Anthony Pahnke

Contradictions between impressive levels of economic growth and the persistence of poverty and inequality are perhaps nowhere more evident than in rural Brazil. While Brazil might appear to be an example of the potential harmony between large-scale, export-oriented agribusiness and small-scale family farming, high levels of rural resistance contradict this vision. In this special issue of the Journal of Peasant Studies (JPS), individual contributions and the introductory essay highlight seven key characteristics of contemporary Brazilian resistance that have broader resonance in the region and beyond: the growth of international networks, the changing structure of state–society collaboration, the deepening of territorial claims, the importance of autonomy, the development of alternative economies, continued opposition to dispossession, and struggles over the meaning of nature. By analyzing rural mobilization in Brazil, this collection offers a range of insights relevant to rural contention globally. Each contribution in this collection increases our understanding of alternative agricultural production, large-scale development projects, education, race and political parties in the contemporary agrarian context.

To contribute to a broader public debate on this topic, JPS offers free access to this entire collection until the end of October 2015, and only through the following link: http://www.tandfonline.com/r/fjps.