Saberes em movimento: educação e identidade sem-terra nas escolas do Assentamento Pirituba/SP (1984-2024).

Abstract

The present dissertation analyzed the relationship between identity and education in the Pirituba settlement, located between Itapeva/SP and Itaberá/SP, examining how educational spaces influenced the construction of landless identity between 1984 and 2024. The research employed Oral History to interview pioneer settlers who participated in the initial struggle for land, community members who experienced transformations over time, and members of the school staff who work in the settlement's educational institutions. The analysis revealed that, initially, the search for schools aimed primarily to remove children from agricultural labor. However, over time, educational spaces became fundamental in establishing settled families on the land. The study identified significant challenges in the settlement's schools, such as the lack of a specific curriculum focused on rural reality, resistance from some teachers to incorporate elements of the movement's culture and history, and a structure that favors an urban model of education. Simultaneously, positive initiatives were found from teachers and administrators committed to an education contextualized to the local reality. The research concluded that, although education plays a fundamental role in the settlers' lives, its implementation fell short of the project initially envisioned by the movement. The schools function more as "schools in the countryside" rather than "rural schools", even though they maintain importance as spaces for socialization and education. The work contributes to understanding the complex relationships between education, identity and the struggle for land in rural settlements, showing both the achievements and challenges still present in this historical process of establishing educational spaces in agrarian reform areas.