History and memory in the Vale do Ribeira: social-environmentalists and social movements in the conservation units of Juréia-Itatins, Cardoso Island and Mandira

• Grant number: 11/04981-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2011
• End date: March 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Carlos Sant'Ana Diegues
• Grantee: Julio Ramos de Toledo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Eletrotécnica e Energia (IEE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This essay attempted to map and analyse the networking policies built between three social movements, located at the Ribeira Valley, which are the União of Moradores da Juréia, and the Associação de Moradores do Marujá, located at the Juréia-Itatins Ecologic Station, inside the Remanescent Community of the Quilombo do Mandira and in the Ilha do Cardoso State Park, and other social characters involved in the actions and political debates within the public space about the managing models of the Conservation Units to be adopted by the Brazilian State. The socio-political context that emerged in Brazil from the late '80s has provided the networking among the residents affected by the imposition of Conservation Units over their territory and other social characters active in the area, that acted as external advisors to those movements. The developed projects aimed at a organization around the community's claims, leading them to the political action at the public spheres and into the creation of new identities, based on the affirmation of the local culture, attached to political compromises of safeguarding the environment. The essay tends to remount, through the methodology of Oral Story-telling, the building process of those identities and the establishment of internal and external networking, understanding how those political individuals take part and influence on changing the State policy of environmental preservation, promoting themselves into a change of the culture policy, by the expansion and universalization in the society's values and objectives which are defended. (AU)