Human rights, social movements and education: networks of dialogue for strengthening agrarian reform in Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the ways produced by the settled people as for conquering the rights that will allow them to live on that land, verifying the results of the experience of inclusion of the university students from the Licentiate Course in Social Science/PRONERA, in the Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, in Mato Grosso do Sul. The course is organized in the lay-out of the graduate teaching rules, and it is offered to 56 people within a single group. It started in July/2008 and it is due to finish in July/2012, being the result of partnerships created among UFGD, INCRA, the rural social movements of Mato Grosso do Sul and MDA/PRONERA. The aim is to accomplish the inclusion of those people who live in rural settlements in higher education and this is based on the presupposition that the consolidation of the agrarian reform requires stability of the rights going beyond the land, allowing a dignifying life for those who want to enjoy it. The experience generated by the course has shown us that the social movements are inscribing their needs as being more than just those related to the traditional social rights (basic conditions for survival), and new demands have been raised, mainly the ones related to the identity ones, as shown by Gohn (2004) and Scherer-Warren (2005). Hence, the access to free and good-quality education in all levels is a need that is clearly demanded in the settlements, being enabled by the dialogues and knowledge-share which were built within a whole group of claimants and social actors.