“Tudo era mata, não tinha nada limpo”: memórias da construção do Assentamento Mororó dos Peixotos (2007-2023).

Abstract

The rural settlements resulting from the Agrarian Reform are territories conquered through the collective mobilization of men and women living in the countryside, associated with various rural social movements such as the Federation of Rural Workers and Family Farmers of the State of Pernambuco (FETAPE). These joint fighting initiatives aim to actively combat land concentration in Brazil and promote democratic access to land, through occupations and the establishment of camps that pressure the State to implement the much-desired Agrarian Reform. This continuous process of demanding the conquest of settlements gives these spaces a symbolic significance as places of resistance in the rural struggle, responsible for transforming the reality and identity of landless farmers. In this context, this research aims to investigate the origin, development and perpetuation of the Mororó dos Peixotos settlement, located in the rural area of the municipality of Terra Nova, Pernambuco, seeking to understand what changes the residents' identities underwent throughout the construction of the aforementioned space. To establish a specific investigation, we used the experiences and memories of the residents who contributed to the formation of the settlement, based on the concepts of Memory and identity, presented by Pollak (1992) and Le Golff (1990). The research is based on the use of Oral History as a methodology capable of recording and perpetuating impressions, experiences and memories, as advocated by Matos and Senna (2011), thus enabling the memories of the settlers to be analyzed and shared with the community. In view of the study, it is concluded that the Mororó dos Peixotos settlement was built through collective struggle driven by the action and mobilization of the Rural Workers Union of the city of Terra Nova, and that the development of the space was conceived mainly through the relationship established with the local city hall, which over time has offered support to the demands presented by the settlers. During this process, the identities of the settlers underwent significant transformations, no longer being based on absence and becoming intimate with feelings such as pride, power and belonging.