Uso do território e federação: novos agentes e novos lugares. Diálogos possíveis e participação política.

Resumo

This paper investigates federalism as a historically constructed political process to resolve the practical problem of coexistence in a context of social and regional differences and inequalities. From this angle, we address the use of state-owned territory and its political-administrative divisions, as well as new territorial areas (indigenous territories and quilombolas) which question the traditional organization under a federal system. The theoretical considerations are guided by the understanding that geographical space is synonymous with used territory, a category that is both the result of the historical process and the material and social basis for human action. An analysis is made in relation to disputes over different territorial uses, on the one side hegemonic uses and on the other subalternate uses. We empirically verified the coexistence of a hegemonic, state use of territory – based on (provincial) municipal and state divides – and a territorial use more linked to the life of place relations.