Permaculture: feasible utopia or concrete illusion? (A critical analysis of some actual experiences in permaculture in the Latin America's "South Cone")

• Grant number: 09/17061-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2010
• End date: February 28, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Geography - Human Geography
• Principal Investigator: Marta Inez Medeiros Marques
• Grantee: Luis Fernando de Matheus e Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research seeks to critically analyze and to understand some actual experiences of community based on the principles of permaculture which have been growing in the Latin America's "South Cone" in the last 20 years, evaluating the limits and possibilities of its alternative content of environmental, social and economical sustainability. Since the 60's, with the contraculture movement, living in communities became very usual at the Occident, although, many of them did not last long, ending or transforming themselves in fetishized images of a way of life which was opposed to the capitalism, to the modern and consuming society. Meanwhile, since the 90's, neo-liberalism and globalization arose (and so did the enlargement and diversification of discontents), other experiences of community living have happened, bringing fresh air and new demands to that movement of contraculture. Many of these new shapes of organization and space production are based on permaculture - concept developed during the 70's which, according to its proposers, tries to guarantee the human needs considering the ecological limits, and using the conception of integrated systems of organic agriculture and sustainable constructions. Having the observation of experiences located in Argentine, Brazil and Chile as empiric reference, we will critically analyze the productive system of permaculture, evaluating if they represent real contributions to the construction of a fair society, more solidary and ecological responsible. We will also analyze the conflicts and contradictions arisen from of its insertion in the capitalist society - driven by profit and its general tendency of transforming everything in commodities. The research will be based on the combination among bibliographic and documental research, as well as interviews with its promoters and the realization of a large number of field works.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

SILVA, Luis Fernando de Matheus e. Concret illusion, possible utopia: spatial counterculture and permaculture (a glance from the Southern Cone). 2013. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD) São Paulo.