Territoriality and Animality: Human-animal Relations in Quilombola Communities of Brazil

• Main Author: Luisa Amador Fanaro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: James Cook University 2016-12-01
• Series: eTropic: electronic journal of studies in the tropics
• Subjects: human-animal relations; quilombola communities; territoriality; brazil; african-brazilian; tropics; são paulo; são roque; jungle; urban jungle; urban; rural; land
• Online Access: https://journals.jcu.edu.au/etropic/article/view/3539/3436

This article seeks to highlight the importance of the still incipient studies about the relationships between humans and animals in the remaining African-Brazilian Quilombola communities in tropical Brazil. I suggest here that these studies can prove very relevant to assist in the processes of land claiming and recognition processes, since I believe human-animal relations constitute, and are constituted by, the concept of territoriality, which is significant to Quilombola social organization. Starting with a brief review of the literature on the topic, the discussion will culminate in two specific cases: the Quilombola community of Bombas located in Iporanga in the state of São Paulo, surrounded by a vast area of moist tropical Atlantic Forest and approximately a two-hour walk from the center of the municipality, and the Quilombola community of Carmo in the municipality of São Roque, São Paulo, a rural neighborhood in an urban area surrounded by and urban jungle of high-end condominiums (and where I carried out field research). Both communities have been struggling for many years with the Brazilian state for the recognition of their territories.