Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: ANA CLARA TAVEIRA DE CASTRO LIMA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ANA CLARA TAVEIRA DE CASTRO LIMA
DATE: 18/08/2026
TIME: 10:00
LOCAL: videoconferência
TITLE:

GRAIN BY GRAIN: Agribusiness, the State, and the dispute of interests in the case of the regulation of genetically modified soybeans in Brazil (1996–2006)

KEY WORDS:

Agribusiness; political disputes; genetically modified soybeans

PAGES: 81
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: História
SUMMARY:

This dissertation aims to analyze the political disputes surrounding the regulation of genetically modified (GM) soybeans in Brazil, in order to identify this process as a milestone in the consolidation of the hegemonic political project of agribusiness. The objective is to understand how, historically, the political-ideological guidelines of ruralism have become intertwined within state institutions, prioritizing the regulation of GM soybeans as an empirical case study. Considering the economic relevance of agricultural commodities for the agrarian ruling class and for transnational biotechnology organizations, the study adopts an approach that seeks to overcome the economism that permeates interpretations of the case under examination. In this sense, by rejecting a view of the economy as detached from politics, the research aims to unravel the processes that shaped the adoption of genetically modified organisms during the governments of Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. To this end, emphasis is placed on the conflictual dimension of the debate, revealing the State as a historical arena of struggle, led by agents guided by deeply divergent national development projects. The selection of empirical material includes official state documents, minutes of the National Congress, reports from mainstream media, and sources linked to the main civil society groups involved. The work is organized into three chapters: the first investigates the ideological and historical foundations of ruralist hegemony; the second introduces the dispute over genetically modified organisms within the gaps of the neoliberal reforms of the FHC administration, between 1996 and 2002; while the third analyzes the peak of intra-state conflict and the legislative process of the Biosafety Law during Lula’s first administration, from 2003 to 2005. Finally, in light of Nicos Poulantzas’ Theory of the Capitalist State and Bob Jessop’s Strategic-Relational Approach, the research interprets the strategies of action and the selectivity of institutions that paved the way for the political victory of agribusiness.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externo à Instituição - CLAITON MARCIO DA SILVA - UFFS
Presidente - 1736091 - JOAO MARCIO MENDES PEREIRA
Externa ao Programa - ***.209.648-** - LEONILDE SERVOLO DE MEDEIROS - UFRRJ