ETHNOTERRITORIAL RECONFIGURATIONS OFSOCIAL CONFLICTS: FROM CULTURAL DIFFERENCE TO POLITICAL FRAGMENTATION (BRAZILIAN AMAZONIA)

Abstract

Abstract Despite the constitutional inscription of the territorial rights of indigenous and quilombola peoples, a new kind of conflict has emerged between differently classified populations. This article documents this conflict through the study of a disagreement between 'quilombola' and 'indigenous' populations in central Amazonia. The solutions of various actors reveal doubts concerning the real 'ethnic contrast' between the protagonists. The current organisation in ethnic territories is seen as the most recent instance of a series of socioterritorial reorganisations already adopted by the populations in interaction with diverse bodies. The article reconstructs the shifting alliances between opposed factions, highlighting the modalities involved in their formation. When the rights granted by the State to groups of populations due to their exceptionality come under threat, as at present, it is essential to recognise that the fluidity between legal categories reflects their shared struggle for survival.