Cartografia dos modos de ser da velhice e do trabalho rurais no médio Vale do Jequitinhonha

Abstract

The proposition supported in this study is that there is no old age, instead there are ways of being old, unique experiences of living this phenomenon in different territories. This thesis emerged from a concern involving widespread homogenizing and normative discourses about old age in the contemporary world. These discourses such as the "Third Age" and "Best Age" advocate an ideal model for the elderly to be adopted by all subjects, characterizing as deviant and disruptive every behavior that deviates from such pattern. Taking the Philosophy of Difference, a dialogue with the authors Deleuze and Guattari is performed in order to construct a proposal of rhizomatic conception of old age, understanding it as a complex phenomenon, fields of forces in constant interaction. In this sense, by presupposing the existence of multiple ways of being old constructed in a context of forces, lines and agencies, this research aimed at mapping the ways of being in old age and rural work in a specific territory, médio Vale do Jequitinhonha. Such objective was divided into two guiding questions: 1. How is the framework of rural old age rhizome in the territory of médio Vale do Jequitinhonha, 2. Which is the place designed for work in this old age rhizome?. Cartography was chosen based on the interest in tracking the experiences of old workers living in rural communities in Araçuaí, Minas Gerais. As it is an intervention research, data construction included the collection of narratives told by old people and other subjects representing public authorities and religious and civil society institutions, which allowed the construction of knowledge concerning old age and rural work though not in its totality. A logbook and photographic narratives were produced and such resources contributed somehow to improve intelligibility about the territory and its inhabitants. A thematic narrative analysis was performed for data analysis, emerging therefore three axes of analysis: life in the countryside, old age in the countryside and work in the countryside. The lines that make up the rural old age rhizome in this territory were outlined for each axe. Some issues could be found crossing these lines such as long periods of dry season affecting the region and the ways of living and working; the changes in rural life perceived by participants triggered by the arrival of electricity and the implementation (or not) of other public policies; the concept of old age as a right accrued to its possessor under struggles and hard work in life; the power of religiosity for these subjects; the conception of work understood as inherent to life and as a source of life; the peculiarities determining the womens work in rural areas and retirement perceived as freedom. Such analyzes confirm the proposition that there are multiple and distinct old ages, which are both particular and part of a social context that crosses and shapes these old ages but is also shaped by them.