Posseiros e política - Goiás nos anos '60

Abstract

This article discusses lhe Brazilian state of Goiás, an área of vast geographical extension which absorbs lhe populational excess of the country's urban centers as well as supplying agricultural produets to these cities. Characterized as an área of agricultural expansion, this state is geared toward a policy of"ocupation and interiorization" aimed at establishing thriving rural settlements in the Midwestern region of Brazil. During the 1960s, Goiás was occupied by posseiros who lived the contradiction of being the actualbut not the legal owners of the land they occupied. This contradiction, was capitalized by political parties, enabling them to participate politically in a new development project.