Banca de DEFESA: MARIA DAS DORES LOPES DA SILVA FERREIRA FELIX

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : MARIA DAS DORES LOPES DA SILVA FERREIRA FELIX
DATE: 17/12/2025
TIME: 08:00
LOCAL: Videoconferência
TITLE:

THE LIMITS OF ENERGY EXTRACTIVISM: IMPACTS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WIND FARMS IN THE TERRITORIES OF TRADITIONAL COMMUNITIES IN RIO GRANDE DO NORTE

KEY WORDS:

Indigenous communities; renewable energy; socio-environmental impacts; free, prior and informed consultation; territorial disputes.

PAGES: 131
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Antropologia
SUBÁREA: Teoria Antropológica
SUMMARY:

This dissertation aims to analyze the limits of energy extractivism, the processes of deterritorialization, and the socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental impacts resulting from the installation of wind farms and photovoltaic plants in the Indigenous territories of Mendonça do Amarelão and Serrote de São Bento, located in the municipality of João Câmara, in the Baixa Verde Region of Rio Grande do Norte. This research is of utmost relevance given the current context of expansion and implementation of “clean energy” projects in the Brazilian Northeast—and particularly in Rio Grande do Norte—advancing over Indigenous lands. The central research problem guiding this investigation examines how the expansion of renewable energy enterprises affects the traditional ways of life of these communities and to what extent the provisions of ILO Convention No. 169—especially regarding free, prior, and informed consultation—are respected. The study adopts a qualitative approach, grounded in dialogue with the communities, semi-structured interviews with local leaders and residents, participant observation, and document analysis. The theoretical and methodological framework articulates Paul Little’s (2004) cosmography with a critical analysis of processes of deterritorialization and resistance, in order to understand the symbolic and material construction of territory by Indigenous communities, taking into account their lived experiences, narratives, memory, and resistance in the face of renewable energy projects. The research concludes that there are significant social, cultural, and environmental vulnerabilities, as well as local dynamics of resistance and territorial reaffirmation in response to the advance of energy extractivism projects. It is hoped that this study contributes to the development of public policies that reconcile the purported “sustainability” of these enterprises with the preservation of the territorial, cultural, and political rights of the affected Indigenous communities. This research also aims to shed light on the violations of rights and territories and to strengthen Indigenous struggles concerning the survival, continuity, and protection of their lands.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - ***.963.294-** - ANAXSUELL FERNANDO DA SILVA - UNILA
Interno - 1149562 - ORIVALDO PIMENTEL LOPES JUNIOR
Externa à Instituição - PRISCILA SORAYA DA CONCEIÇÃO - USP