Learning as territoriality: the political ecology of education in the Brazilian landless workers’ movement

2015/01/20 by David Meek · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Social Sciences · #Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development #Rural and Ethnic Education #Indigenous and Place-Based Education

paper · doi:10.1080/03066150.2014.978299

openalex publication_date 2015/01/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

In this contribution, I explore the importance of agroecological education in the Brazilian Landless Workers’ Movement (MST). I analyze how certain MST educational programs are based in a critical place-based pedagogy. This type of pedagogy can serve as a form of territoriality, influencing individuals’ interactions with the land. Drawing upon a political ecology of education perspective, I conclude that MST educators can serve as Gramscian ‘organic intellectuals’, by using a critical pedagogy of place as a form of territoriality to: (1) create a conception of place that is not discrete, but instead relational, and (2) advocate counter-hegemonic land usage.

Citations

• Food sovereignty
• The Best of Both Worlds: A Critical Pedagogy of Place
• Selections from the prison notebooks

Discussions

• Pro-gardens? Great! In Brazil, diversified gardens don’t just secure land claims, they create them. MST has taken over 7.5 million hectares of land since 1984, establishing schools, healthcare, and fi [bsky, 0 points, 1 comments]