A reinterpretation about the rural women productivity organizations through the theory of reciprocity

Abstract

Contemporary approaches of the reciprocity theory can contribute to rescue and revitalize the Economic Sociology’s fundamentals around the concept of reciprocity proposed by Karl Polanyi, in order to propose an understanding of productive organizations organized by rural women. The assumptions of the reciprocity structures based on the economic action embedded allows to highlight the social aspects and the sociability aspects of productive organizations created for the purposes of economically enable rural women productive activities. We analyze in this article a study of rural women's productive organizations conducted in five different regions of Brazil and we found out that although these organizations have as their purpose the mercantile activities, members of productive organizations when asked about his performances in these entities, mention the importance of participation through social purposes. This article aims to contribute in two directions. The first refers to the reflection on gender equality aspects in rural productive organizations, and the second relates to the production activities social aspects, which opposes the analysis eminently mercantile. These contributions fall within the field of critical studies of public administration resulting dialogue between political science and public policy management.