Camponeses em lutas no Sudoeste do Paraná (1960-1980): das experiências e organização popular à conquista da terra

Abstract

The process of occupation of the Southwest of Paraná began in the 19th century, under the logic of Portuguese colonization, in the region of Campos de Palmas. The western portion of the region, however, was more systematically colonized from the 1940s onward, with the creation of the Colônia Agrícola Nacional General Osório (CANGO), mainly through migrants from Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. This territory was already inhabited by Indigenous peoples and caboclos, which highlights the region’s social complexity. Within the context of CANGO’s activities, part of the land in the Southwest was involved in legal disputes. This conflictual scenario culminated in the Revolta dos Posseiros of 1957, an armed uprising that resulted in the expulsion of private colonization companies such as Clevelândia Industrial e Territorial Ltda. (CITLA). These companies engaged in land grabbing practices, using violence and armed militias, often in articulation with the state government of Paraná. Following their expulsion, the area was declared of public utility in 1962. In this context, the Grupo Executivo para as Terras do Sudoeste do Paraná (GETSOP) was created, with the purpose of regularizing land tenure, issuing property titles, and promoting agricultural modernization. Despite its activities until 1973, agrarian problems persisted, as evidenced by the loss of land among peasants due to indebtedness, forced sales, and limitations imposed by family succession. Simultaneously, initiatives of social and political organization emerged, such as the Associação de Estudos, Orientação e Assistência Rural (ASSESOAR), founded in 1966. Established by Belgian priests of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart Missionaries, with the participation of youth from the Juventude Agrária Católica (JAC), the organization developed actions inspired by the debates of the Second Vatican Council, including Reflection Groups, in which peasants critically analyzed their realities. Other entities, such as Rural Workers’ Unions, also played a significant role, becoming spaces of dispute between assistentialist and more combative perspectives during the 1970s. These experiences contributed to the formation of political, social, and class consciousness among peasants, who began to demand rights and better production conditions. This formative process, articulated with agricultural modernization and broader social contradictions, intensified the struggle for land, culminating in the creation of the Movimento dos Agricultores Sem Terra do Sudoeste do Paraná (MASTES) in 1983. The movement carried out land occupations and roadside encampments, pressuring the state for agrarian reform policies. This research aims to analyze the formative process of peasants in the region between the 1960s and 1980s, considering their organizational experiences and social practices. To this end, it examines the regional historical context, theoretical debates on the peasantry, and the work of ASSESOAR through three dimensions: community, knowledge, and economy. The analysis also includes MASTES and concrete achievements, such as the settlements José Eduardo Raduan and Vitória da União. The study is based on oral interviews with local leaders and documentary sources, including bulletins, booklets, newspapers, photographs, and institutional records produced during the period. It thus understands the Southwest of Paraná as a space of intense social and political struggles and of the formation of peasants as active historical subjects.