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Traditional Populations and Political Activism in the Belo Monte Dam Construction

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Latin American Heritage

Part of the book series: The Latin American Studies Book Series ((LASBS))

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Abstract

This article presents a critical discussion on issues relating to the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam Complex (UHE Belo Monte) construction in the region of Altamira, State of Pará, Brazil. The discussion is carried out by an analysis on the development and relevant policy effects over social struggles from traditional peoples against the Belo Monte Dam construction. From this discussion, I point out to both civilizational potential and barbarian dimension involved in the Belo Monte construction, emphasizing that only popular mobilization can partly turn losses into social gains. Within this context, the traditional communities reinvent themselves face to the impacts of the work, incorporating new dimensions in order to conserve goods, knowledge, and ways of life.

This article corresponds to the written version of our exposition at the I Simpósio Internacional: Patrimônios (1st International Symposium: Heritage), which occured at UNESP, Ourinhos-SP, in 2015, being the oral presentation version of the previous study (Souza 2015).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We conceive traditional peoples as compromised with environmental conservation in exchange for some sort of benefit, including the forms of existence and resistance of indigenous, quilombolas, riparian people, fishermen, peasants, artisanal miners. However, when we refer specifically to the indigenous populations they will be named accordingly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UNESP, Rio Claro, Brazil

    Angelita Matos Souza

Authors
  1. Angelita Matos Souza
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Correspondence to Angelita Matos Souza .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Campus of Ourinhos, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Ourinhos, São Paulo, Brazil

    Fabiana Lopes da Cunha

  2. Campus of Ourinhos, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Ourinhos, São Paulo, Brazil

    Marcilene dos Santos

  3. Laboratorio de Geomorfología y Cuaternario, CADIC-CONICET, Ushuaia, Argentina

    Jorge Rabassa

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Souza, A.M. (2018). Traditional Populations and Political Activism in the Belo Monte Dam Construction. In: Lopes da Cunha, F., dos Santos, M., Rabassa, J. (eds) Latin American Heritage. The Latin American Studies Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58448-5_11

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