Memories of Paraguaçu: Reflections of a present past

Motivated by the curiosity of someone who grows up surrounded by the ruins of colonial Brazil, I independently began a study of the quilombola movement in São Francisco do Paraguaçu, a fishing village that gives rise to my family and individual background. This reflection prompted me to begin a theoretical search into the origins and trajectory of this territory in 2010, when I had completed more than a year’s work as a research assistant in sustainable communities in Europe and Brazil. Contact with other realities encouraged me to better understand my own. A few years ago, I witnessed a phenomenon that would drastically change the San Franciscan social structure: conflicts over land ownership broke out in the community. On one of my visits, I was able to experience all the moral complexity that these clashes express in these individuals, who are reluctant and afraid of their own autonomy. No longer beholden to others, or in need of approval or gratification, they resist the blessings of freedom, and the path of knowledge can be the key to breaking this fetter. Hence the importance of understanding a little more about the root of these conflicts, which is the intrinsic purpose of this book. Happy reading!