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Contradictions between impressive levels of economic growth and the persistence of poverty and inequality are perhaps nowhere more evident than in rural Brazil. While Brazil might appear to be an example of the potential harmony between large-scale, export-oriented agribusiness and small-scale family farming, high levels of rural resistance contradict this vision. In this introductory paper, we synthesize the literature on agrarian resistance in Brazil and situate recent struggles in Brazil within the Latin American context more broadly. We highlight seven key characteristics of contemporary Latin American resistance, which include: the growth of international networks, the changing structure of state-society collaboration, the deepening of territorial claims, the importance of autonomy, the development of alternative economies, continued opposition to dispossession, and struggles over the meaning of nature. We argue that by analyzing rural mobilization in Brazil, this collection offers a range of insights relevant to rural contention globally. Each contribution in this collection increases our understanding of alternative agricultural production, largescale development projects, education, race and political parties in the contemporary agrarian context.

During the center-left Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers’ Party—PT) governments of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2002–2010) and Dilma Rousseff (2011–2016), the Brazilian Landless Movement took advantage of particular governmental changes—increased access to education, improved small-farmer support programs, and expanded agrarian reform development policies—to strengthen its leadership and organization. Instead of expanding, the movement turned inward to address internal weaknesses. It benefited from the PT’s ambiguous position with respect to the politics of agrarian reform. Since each administration dedicated considerable resources to public policies that the movement favored, neither government engaged in significant land redistribution. Durante los gobiernos de Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2002–2010) y Dilma Rousseff (2011–2016), ambos pertenecientes al centro-izquierdista Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), el Movimiento Brasileño Sin Tierra aprovechó cambios gubernamentales particulares, como mejores programas de apoyo a los pequeños agricultores, mejor acceso a la educación y políticas ampliadas para el desarrollo de reformas agrarias, para fortalecer su liderazgo y organización. En lugar de expandirse, el movimiento se tornó hacia sí mismo para abordar debilidades internas. Se benefició de la posición ambigua del PT con respecto a las políticas de reforma agraria. Y dado que ambas administraciones dedicaron considerables recursos a políticas públicas favorecidas por el movimiento, ninguno se abocó a supervisar una redistribución significativa de la tierra.

Sovereignty conditions all aspects of the extractive process. That it underpins the dynamics of capitalist accumulation is apparent in the power that governments have to classify space, alienate certain areas for investment, and charge rents. A review of the large-scale land acquisitions and changes in the mining and oil and gas industries in Brazil from 2002 to 2016 shows that initiatives intended to curtail foreign investment actually stimulate foreign enterprises to engage in novel forms of capitalist accumulation. A soberania condiciona todos os aspectos do processo extrativo. Que ela sustenta as dinâmicas da acumulação capitalista é aparente no poder que os governos têm de classificar o espaço, abrir certas áreas de investimento, e cobrar aluguéis. Uma análise das aquisições de terras em larga escala e das mudanças nos setores de mineração, petróleo e gás no Brasil de 2002 a 2016 mostra que as iniciativas destinadas a restringir o investimento estrangeiro acabaram estimulando as empresas estrangeiras a se engajarem em novas formas de acumulação capitalista.