MILITARY AND RELIGION IN THE PAST AND PRESENT OF THE STRUGGLE FOR LAND

Abstract

Most of the militants who engaged in the struggle for land at the origin of the Movimento Sem Terra (MST) had a strong religious connection. It was a time when Liberation Theology was at its height and many related organizations, particularly the Catholic Church, gained great social expression. Currently, a large part of the militants trained in this period maintain their political militancy, but have moved away from religious militancy. On the other hand, the militants who are at the forefront of the struggle for land today do not come to this engagement from religion. The “source” of militancy is much more diverse and its trajectories quite different from those that gave rise to the MST. From the analysis of the trajectory of some militants, some "originating" from rural religious bases and others from the urban middle class, this article intends to point out elements of analysis for understanding the motivators of militant action. It is noteworthy that this analysis is based on field work carried out in two settlements and one camp in Rio Grande do Sul and conforms to one of the topics addressed in my doctoral thesis.