The trajectory of Amazonia forest extractivists social movement: Shifting political struggles, strategies, demands and achievements

La trayectoria del movimiento social de extractivistas forestales en la Amazonia: cambios en las luchas políticas, estrategias, demandas y logros

Abstract

A remarkable characteristic of the social movements that arose in Latin America in the 1980s is the central role that identity played in their mobilization and demands. The relationships established with the government led to changes in their repertoire. We analyze how those changes have affected the dynamics related to scale shift and how it affects the perception of achievements, strategies, and demands by the forest extractivists movement in the Brazilian Amazon. We use archives of local and national organizations, and interviews with leaders of the social movement. The movement has been changing its strategies and demands. However, this does not mean that it is becoming less effective in pursuing its demands through the realm of politics. The development of specific approaches as a strategy led to a friction about the definition of goals between lower and higher-level leaders. The movement remains remarkable in the region to this day.

Keywords:
Amazon; Forest Extractivists; Extractive Reserve; Public Policy; Chico Mendes