When the state becomes the land grabber: Violence and dispossession in the name of “development” in Brazil

Journal of Latin American Geography (2013)

Pedlowski M A

DOI: 10.1353/lag.2013.0045

Vol 12, Issue 3, pp 91–111

Abstract

To maximize the trade of commodities and to modernize the country´s infrastructure, the Brazilian government has launched the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC). In addition, both federal and state governments have increased public funding for private mega–projects through public/private partnerships. The combination of these initiatives resulted in the encroachment of large corporations (both national and multinational) on territories occupied by Native Brazilians, quilombolas and peasants. Despite the fact that the Brazilian Federal Constitution has several articles stipulating how the State should preserve the rights of landowners and squatters, the law is not being followed and thousands of families are being evicted without due compensation. This paper will discuss a case of “legal” land grab in a coastal area of northern Rio de Janeiro state where hundreds of small farmers’ families are being forcefully removed from their land to allow the construction of the Açu Superport Industrial Complex.