INTERLACED TERRITORY: WOMEN AS POLITICAL SUBJECTS IN THE STRUGGLE FOR LAND – HORTO BELA VISTA SETTLEMENT – IPERÓ SP

Abstract

The struggle of women for access to land in Brazil is a process marked by the invisibility of their work and the reproduction of gender inequality in the countryside. Through the articulation of interviews and theoretical references, this research aims to demonstrate how the sexual division of labor in camps and settlements marginalizes women's participation, restricting their political engagement, undervaluing their economic contribution, and limiting their active role in the constitution of these territories. At the same time, women play a leading role in forms of resistance and collective organization, such as agroecological movements, which seek to build a fairer rural environment. The analysis of settler Maria Rodrigues’s trajectory illustrates this dynamic, showing that the struggle for land is also a struggle for autonomy and the recognition of women as political subjects. This movement takes place collectively, which is why the title Interlaced Territory was chosen, referring to the idea of something built together, like a fabric formed by different threads that cross one another — much like rural women who, through their fight for land, interweave their stories, voices, and practices. Therefore, this research reinforces the importance of addressing gender issues in studies of the Brazilian agrarian question.