“A gente não é só a casa!” produção intelectual e conflitos: intelectuais quilombolas de Alcântara – MA e a “epistemologia da resistência”

Abstract

The thesis entitled “We are not just the house!” Intellectual Production and Conflicts: Quilombola Intellectuals of Alcântara – MA and the ‘Epistemology of Resistance’ presents an analysis of how, in the face of over 40 years of conflict with the Alcântara Launch Center (CLA), the Quilombola intellectuals of Alcântara developed an “Epistemology of Resistance” rooted in ancestry, and in the knowledge and practices of resistance produced within their territories. The central problem addressed in the thesis is grounded on the following premises: an analysis of the (de)territorialization of knowledge and colonialist practices as alternatives to epistemological hegemony; an analysis of the conflicts arising from the implementation of the CLA over the course of more than four decades, the actions of the State and their ambiguities; and an analysis of the knowledge and practices of resistance by the Quilombola intellectuals, based on their specific territorialities, leading to the construction of an “Epistemology of Resistance.” Fieldwork, supported by oral history and social cartography practices, enabled the observation of the knowledge and resistance practices of the Quilombola intellectuals of Alcântara across their different territories, allowing for a broadening of interpretative frameworks and understandings. Aligned with the thesis that the Quilombola intellectuals of Alcântara developed an “Epistemology of Resistance” grounded in ancestry and local resistance knowledge and practices, an educational product was developed: “An egg doesn’t fight a stone, but it makes a mess!”: Uprising of Knowledge and the ‘Epistemology of Resistance’ of Quilombola Intellectuals from Alcântara – MA. This initiative aims to create a digital platform for analyzing the knowledge and practices of resistance of Quilombola intellectuals based on their specific territorialities, contributing to the construction of an “Epistemology of Resistance.” Users of the interactive platform will have access to the historical development of the conflict between the Quilombola intellectuals and the CLA since its implementation; to analyses of the impacts caused by the forced displacement of Quilombola families to “agrovillages”; to examinations of the discontinuities in public policies resulting in permanent displacements; to the history of mobilizations by representative Quilombola organizations; and to analyses of everyday resistance knowledge and practices within their various territories.