Conflicts involving indigenous peoples and farmers in Rio Grande do Sul: Dilemmas of contradictory public policies

Abstract

In the past decade, the territorial conflicts involving indigenous communities and farmers in Rio Grande do Sul have been intensified. These conflicts reveal cultural diversities, and their economic, social and political implications have to do with territorial policies developed by the State, which paradoxically gives the same space, in different historic moments, to indigenous peoples and to farmers. This article discusses these conflicts and analyzes them from the point of view of their historical roots and the current context. It characterizes the social subjects involved (indigenous and farmers) from the perspective of the emerging diversity and shows that the current public policy contributes to increase the conflict and does not meet the needs neither of indigenous people nor of farmers. The article is the result of bibliographical, documentary and field research conducted in the north of Rio Grande do Sul and is part of a broader project for a doctoral dissertation.

Keywords: territorial conflicts, public policies, cultural impacts.