The Child Protagonism within contemporary social Movements in Brazil

Abstract

In this text, we propose to discuss and analyze the protagonism of children using data relating to two Brazilian social movements: the Landless Rural Workers Movement (known as MST) and the urban squatter movement in the context of large Brazilian cities. Therefore, we will address the conditions of participation and/or the protagonism of children in these movements, whose aims are to help families in their struggle for land, work and housing. Initially, we will outline the concept of protagonism, by examining studies on children’s rights and the sociology of childhood. Later, we will analyze the conditions pertaining to the protagonism of the children in each movement. In the case of MST, our analysis will be centered on the systems of participation revealed in the process of preparation and implementation of the meetings of the Children Without Land. In the case of urban squatters, we will examine how much the concept of childhood citizenship can affect the protagonism of children in the movement’s agenda of demands and in the very dynamics of struggle. Thereby, we will evaluate the conditions and limits of the protagonism of children in these contemporary social movements and the epistemological challenges regarding the concepts of protagonism and participation in the context of both movements.