Abstract
This article aims to assess the meanings of the notion of development that have been applied in analyses on ‘regional development’ in Brazil, considering the scope of action of the postgraduate programs linked to this field of knowledge. In methodological terms, the roots of the notion of development are reappraised, some of the meanings that it has assumed along its trajectory are examined and some critiques of development are reviewed, thereby bringing several alternatives to the surface. The conclusion is that the notion of development has been unable to pave the way in overcoming the existing reality. Hence, a proposal is postulated that transcends (empirically, theoretically and politically) the protagonism of the capital and the State, and contemplates a social transformation from the bottom-up, based on a drive toward social self-determination.
Keywords:
Social Self-determination; Brazil; Capital; Development; Regional Development; the State