Capitalist expansion and territorial conflicts in the brazilian semiarid region in the 21st century

Abstract

Conflict is an intrinsic part of the territorial formation of the Brazilian semiarid region, since the European invasion of the territories of original peoples until the current period of capitalist accumulation. This paper aims to relate the expansion of capitalism in the agrarian space of the Brazilian semiarid region in the 21st century with the territorial conflicts produced during this process. We used bibliographical research, collection and systematization of secondary data, and fieldwork during the research. We identified that the expansion of capitalism in the field is intimately associated with the production of territorial conflicts between the social classes involved: on one side are the dominant classes, represented by capitalists and large land-owners; and on the other side is the peasantry. Finally, we verified that the territorial conflicts in the Brazilian semiarid region are the result of the violence practices of the dominant classes and the resistance actions of the peasantry.