Os filhos da luta pela terra: as crianças do MST - significados atribuídos pelas crianças moradoras de um acampamento rural ao fato de pertencerem a um movimento social

Abstract

What is the significance attributed by children to the fact that they belong to a social movement? The present study was led by that centered question. Focusing the objective on getting to know more of that childhood which has been up through in a time space of a social struggle, it was carried out from April to November of 2003 - a interactive observation at Dois de Julho encampment site, locates in Betim, Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. At all that period of time I lived in the camped community, mainly with children from the age of 7 to 12, going through with them with their daily activities and taking part in their recreation games, learning thus more about their lives. Landless Workers Movement (MST/Brazil) was chosen for this research, as it represents in itself one of the lasting historical social rural movements of Brazil: It´s a social struggle undertaken by all family members. As it is understood that a child is a social and cultural subject (GOUVEA, 1990, 2002, 2002a, 2003; JOBIN, 2001; KRAMER,1999, 2001; SARMENTO, 1997, SIROTA, 2001) in other words, it is only possible to comprehend an infant circumstances from inside of a culture. MST is seen as a time space as these subject building. The social movement is seen as organized groups searching for liberty, which means in order to overcome any kind of oppression and to take part in a new society production (SCHERER.- WARREN, 1987, p.9). It has also been noticed the daily aspect of this movement so that the social struggle for land or the result of it, on this specific case of MST their encampment and nesting become also a place where the Landless Workers live, and no only struggle. And specifically about MST, we used the works of CALDART, 2000a, BOGO, 2000; FERNANDES, 2000; MST, 1998, 1999, 1999a, 1999b and 2000; STÈDILE, 2000 and STÈDILE AND FERNANDES, 1999.