Challenges in the history of property rights of land in Brazil

Abstract

Reflecting on the social history of land ownership in Brazil, I consider that there is a lack both of case studies and of theoretical analyzes in the field. The aim of this text is therefore to present some ideas that have sown the seeds for further study and to contribute to them. I begin by exploring a concept that is not widely discussed in Brazil: dissociated or ‘shared ownership’, starting with its characterization and origins. For this, I draw on European research, exploring some land-ownership practices in Portuguese America, referring to my own research as well as the work of others. I argue that, for peasant-farmers, being granted de facto possession (which I refer to as ‘domínio útil’) was a possible (and indeed the most common) means of obtaining access to land. That runs contrary to the historical narrative of open frontiers and readily available land. I then relate this to the position of the land-owning classes and the perpetuation of forms of domination and the extraction of surpluses by the ruling Brazilian class. I set out some considerations on the research in this field, drawing a distinction between that which I consider to be promising and some current practices, theoretical premises and ‘liberal myths’ that, in my view, have not contributed to significant advances. In closing, I present out some theoretical-methodological proposals for further study into an area that is still relatively unexplored.