Marcha das Margaridas as a pedagogic subject and the political formation of the margaridas from Maranhão
Marcha das Margaridas; political formation; rural working women.
This dissertation intends to analyze the Marcha das Margaridas (MM), a strategic action promoted by rural women and by water and forest‘s women, from the aspect of political formation, reading the MM as a pedagogical subject. The investigation into this action, which has been carried out for more than 20 years under the coordination of the National Confederation of Agricultural Workers (CONTAG), seeks to understand how spheres of political education are produced in this process. Since 2000, the Margaridas March has brought together women from all over Brazil in the federal capital, creating a moment of great visibility by taking the Margaridas' agendas and flags to the center of political power. However, in order to be possible, the periods between editions are marked by preparation in the states and by a national political articulation, carried out successfully over seven editions, so that the mobilization has been continuously built for more than two decades. The between marches category is proposed to account the time frame present between one edition of the March and another. Presenting as a case study the Maranhão delegation for the 7th edition of the Marcha das Margaridas, we also seek to understand how the political formation mobilized by the Marcha das Margaridas (MM) affects the formation of Margaridas as a collective subject with rights. To this end, theoretical references were mobilized on the emergence and formation of organizations and movements of rural workers at national and state levels, with a focus on the state of Maranhão; about the pedagogies that are present and mobilized in the context of social movements and collective actions; and about the Marcha das Margaridas itself. The reading and analysis of formation booklets of texts, documents, actions and events formulated for the last two editions of the Marcha das Margaridas was carried out, focusing on the VII Marcha das Margaridas, which took place in 2023 with the motto ―For the reconstruction of Brazil and for Good Living ‖. Interviews were also carried out with women from the Maranhão delegation for the 2023 edition of the March and with Contag's women's advisor. As a result, political formation could be located as a fundamental basis for the collective struggle engendered by the Marcha das Margaridas which, as a pedagogical subject, produces instruments for the emancipation of political subjects. It is concluded that the political formation in and at the Marcha das Margaridas is built on the continuous carrying out of this action and that this format of strategic action makes visible the potential of pedagogical approaches that originate from social movements and collective actions.