Rural social movements and education: references for an analysis of public policies in higher education

Abstract

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14244/198271991018

In this article, we discuss how social movements and rural union organizations assure education as a right for rural populations, specifically in the area of higher education.  We base our study in research conducted by Study and Research on Amazonian Rural Education Group (Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Educação do Campo na Amazônia) on the Movement for Rural Education (Movimento de Educação do Campo) and their conception of Rural Education (Educação do Campo) that has been developed for over the past fifteen years.  In our study, we focus on the connections of current day events, in order to highlight the contradictions that are parte of the present day situation, guaranteeing the interface between specific and general, particular and universal.  By highlighting the achievements of these movements, we note their amplified capacity to articulate different collective subjects and organizations that fight for Rural Education, with state-level forums and the creation of the Rural Education National Forum (Fórum Nacional de Educação do Campo).  We also define the special legal framework that supports these struggles and the implementation of programs destined to assist the different individuals that live in rural areas and who desire access to higher education. The article shows how organizations of rural workers are the main protagonists that overcome precarious living and educational situations amid conceptual and public policy disputes with state authorities and class conflict.  

Keywords: Rural education, Social movements, Educational policies, Higher education