Studies on rural trade unionism in Brazil: transformations, continuities, and 60 years of CONTAG

Abstract

This paper analyzes the field of studies on rural trade unionism in Brazil and is divided into two parts. First, we analyze some key events and research on the trajectory of rural trade unionism, with emphasis on CONTAG (the National Confederation of Rural Workers and Family Farmers), introducing the articles in this thematic section. The following topics are addressed: dictatorship and transitional justice; union action at the local level; the multiplication of political subjects in the Brazilian countryside and union plurality; land conflicts; family farming, public policies, and the relationship between unionism and the state; and finally, the strengthening of minority groups within unionism. In the second part, we revisit some of the main theory that has marked trade union studies in Brazil and subsequently suggest adding important new approaches, especially in the last two decades, as part of a preliminary synthesis that still requires further study.