Paper short abstract:

This paper will show the role of Marxist theory in guiding MST activity since 1984, taking in guidance from the Catholic Church or the academy and also the development of Marxist theory and intellectuals within the MST. Special attention will be paid to Gramscian thought and to MST intellectual Ademar Bogo.

Paper long abstract:

The Movimento Sem Terra (MST, Landless Workers Movement) of Brazil was formed through the activity of the rural subaltern classes, guided by the Catholic doctrine of Liberation Theology. Since 1984, the MST has engaged with several currents within Marxist thought, including the works of Catholic friar Sergio Gorgen and critical geographer Bernardo Mancano Fernandes. More than any other Brazilian movement, the Movimento Sem Terra has developed its own educational institutions. At the Escola Nacional Florestan Fernandes in Sao Paulo, the MST has built a relationship with Marxist academics in order to educate it's militants. This has included Brazilian Marxists such as Emir Sader and Leo Konder, and also those from outside Latin America, of which Istvan Mezsaros has been particularly prominent.

Based on field research undertaken in 2012, this paper interrogates how the MST has changed from a Cold-War era movement guided by Liberation Theology to a modern social movement which is producing its own Marxist intellectuals and militants, as well as educating members of political parties, unions and other movements.

Particular attention will be paid to the role of Gramscian thought in orienting MST militants in contemporary Brazil, as well as the role of MST militant Ademar Bogo in systematizing the experiences and practices of this movement within a Marxist framework. Consideration will also be given to the attempts to produce "organic intellectuals" in the Gramscian sense, as militants involved both in ideological orientation and organization of the production process.