Primitive accumulation in the Lower Amazon, Pará: territorial disputes around Lake Maicá and the Embraps port complex in Santarém, Pará

Abstract

The debate around primitive accumulation serves as a theoretical guide for reflecting on situations of territorial disputes and development projects in the Planalto Santareno region, particularly the space known as Lago do Maicá in the Lower Amazonas and western Pará. Here Indigenous, Quilombola and peasant populations coexist, and are the targets of intensive capital efforts including plans by Embraps (Empresa Brasileira de Portos de Santarém) to build a port complex in the region. The project is part of a package of macro-scale development policies to consolidate the Lower Amazon as a commodity export corridor. Reformulation of master plans is just one of the measures mobilized by the forces of capital, in alliance with conservative sectors in the region, as a legal resource to incorporate spaces into the circuits of capitalist agriculture through large infrastructure projects. This article focuses on the antagonistic situations embedded within the space of Lago do Maicá. In addition to a bibliographical review and analysis of documents like the project's environmental impact report and the master plan, the findings are derived from systematic field activities in the region prior to the coronavirus pandemic and sporadic efforts after social isolation efforts, as well as observations at local events covering this topic.