A identidade territorial nos processos de des-reterritorialização no contexto do desastre socioambiental de Muçum, RS.

Abstract

This dissertation set out to investigate the impacts of extreme weather events that occurred in Muçum, a municipality in the Taquari Valley (RS), between 2023 and 2024, and their repercussions on the territory, culture, and territorial identity of its inhabitants. The disasters caused deaths, urban destruction, population decline, and material and symbolic ruptures, constituting a socio-environmental disaster process that extends beyond the climate emergency and the initial response stages. The research sought to understand how the territorial identity of the inhabitants of Muçum affects the processes of deterritorialization and reconstruction, considering both the loss of homes, memories, and places of belonging, but also the forms of organization and re-signification. The theoretical framework articulates three axes: Cultural Studies, Cultural Geography, and Post-development epistemologies. A qualitative socio-anthropological approach was adopted as the research methodology, using ethnographic techniques such as participant observation, informal and semi-structured formal interviews, field diaries, photography and document analysis. The results indicate that the reconstruction of Muçum goes beyond the physical dimension, involving subjective and cultural processes that structure community belonging and cohesion. The disaster process can be understood as part of a global condition associated with climate change and certain development models that weaken territories. Structural vulnerabilities and the political-economic system, by not prioritizing society, expose it more acutely in contexts of crisis, characterizing “disaster capitalism.” It can be concluded that recognizing territorial identity and local cultural practices as pillars of reconstruction is fundamental to resisting the cycle of vulnerability imposed by disasters and dominant development models, opening the way for more just, endogenous, and participatory public policies.