Occupation Tereza de Benguela: a territory of struggle and resistance

• Main Authors: Isabele Tenório Santos, LuanaTavares de Sousa, Lucas Gabriel Vieira Almeida Rocha, Luiz Guilherme de Souza Leão, Victor Oliveira Santos, Yasmin Jandriele Neves Carvalho, Cirlene Jeane Santos e Santos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Estadual de Alagoas 2021-01-01
• Series: Diversitas Journal
• Subjects: mtst; fight for housing; social organization
• Online Access: https://periodicos.ifal.edu.br/diversitas_journal/article/view/1692

Contemporary social movements act as modifiers of socio-spatial relations, often assuming the role that should be the State's, acting with the less favored populations, indicating other paths, in addition to marginalization and social exclusion. This article presents reflections on an occupation organized by the Movement of Homeless Workers (MTST), more precisely the Tereza de Benguela camp, located in the Village Campestre II Complex, located in the Cidade Universitária neighborhood, in the city of Maceió, Alagoas. In this one, the way the campers relate to the space is analyzed, discussing the importance of the movement in the struggle for housing and for the dignity of its members. The objective here is to discuss the legitimacy of the existence of the Tereza de Benguela camp, to understand the territorial formation of the occupation, the strategies used by the campers to organize themselves, the difficulties that the movement faces and the importance of women's work within the MTST. With a qualitative approach, the article had as methodological route the accomplishment of bibliographic research; technical visits in order to experience the day-to-day life of those who lived and / or frequented the occupation; and conducting semi-structured interviews. From the collected information, it can be systematized and the relevant reflections. The occupation Tereza de Benguela, is one of the MTST camps existing in the state of Alagoas, the movement's actions intensely mark thegeographical space, leading to the construction of a specific and unique territory, whose permanence will depend on the correlation of forces involved in the process.