“Unproductive large states are the devil”: analysis of the unusual trajectory of Saluzinho

Abstract:

The goal of this article is to investigate the trajectory of Salustiano Gomes Ferreira (Saluzinho), especially a remarkable conflict he has been involved in Varzelândia (MG) by the end of the 1960s. We tried to understand his own interpretations concerning such case, the images conveyed by the press, and the perspectives of some of the actors enmeshed in that quarrel. Furthermore we discuss the relationships established between that worker, other land possessors from that region, his adversaries, and rural social movements, with the aim to assess his notions of customary and written law and his views on communism. By doing so we intend to shed some light on those individual’s features as well as on the meaning of his trajectory in order to get a broader understanding.

Keywords:
Saluzinho; Land possessors; State of Minas Gerais