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The Quilombolas’ Refuge in Brazil: Social Economy, Communal Space, and Shared Identity

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Book cover The Black Social Economy in the Americas

Part of the book series: Perspectives from Social Economics ((PSE))

Abstract

Quilombola communities in Brazil date back to colonial times, as they were created by runaway slaves of African descent seeking a “refuge” (a quilombo) where they could have freedom and better living conditions. Given their isolation, several of these communities survived over time. In some cases, ever-growing cities decreased substantially their relative seclusion, and nowadays there are quilombos in urban areas as well. Using in-depth qualitative interviews with members of quilombola communities in rural and urban areas of Greater Porto Alegre, in the south of Brazil, this research will discuss how the quilombo still remains quintessentially a refuge: It is essential for the solidarity economy in which quilombolas engage as well as for providing the physical space where a sense of community and its shared identity is both nurtured and perpetuated over time.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    As per federal Decree 6040 from 2007, the traditional communities in Brazil encompass, besides the indigenous and the quilombolas, the Gypsies, rubber tappers, subsistence gatherers, artisanal fishermen groups, and coconut gatherers, among others.

  2. 2.

    This text uses the noun quilombo to refer to a place. “Quilombola,” on the other hand, is both a noun (e.g., an individual who is a quilombola) and an adjective, such as in quilombola community or quilombola Brazil Plan.

  3. 3.

    The Palmares Cultural Foundation, headquartered in Brasília, was created in 1988 by the federal government. It is named after the famous Palmares Quilombo, which, during the seventeenth century, was a place of not only African resistance to slavery as well as to oppression, as quilombolas welcomed to the quilombo other groups, such as poor Whites and members of the Portuguese army trying to flee forced conscription (Carneiro 1958; Gomes 2005). The foundation’s main objectives are the promotion of Afro-Brazilian culture, and the implementation of public policies which foster race-based equity and inclusion. Since its creation, the foundation is responsible for the certification of the quilombola communities.

  4. 4.

    In fact, according to INCRA, there are seven phases in the titling of quilombola territories. First, an official process to delimit the territory is opened. Next, a technical report of “identification and delimitation” (known by the acronym RTID) is produced and officially published. After the official publication of the RTID, any grievances against its findings must be analyzed and judged. Following the conclusion of this phase, a document officially sets the limits of the quilombola land. A presidential decree authorizing the appropriation (with payment) of any private occupation of the quilombola land is then issued. In the sequence, any non-quilombola individuals or families living in the newly demarcated quilombola territory are notified of the need to leave the area. Following the conclusion of this last step, an official land title determining the collective possession of the property is issued to the quilombola community.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Simone Bohn

  2. PUCRS, Social Work, School of Humanities, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Patricia Krieger Grossi

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  1. Simone Bohn
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  2. Patricia Krieger Grossi
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  1. York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Caroline Shenaz Hossein

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Bohn, S., Grossi, P.K. (2018). The Quilombolas’ Refuge in Brazil: Social Economy, Communal Space, and Shared Identity. In: Hossein, C. (eds) The Black Social Economy in the Americas. Perspectives from Social Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-60047-9_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-60047-9_9

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