UHE Belo Monte e as concepções espaciais do conceito de atingido por barragem: uma análise a partir da lagoa do Independente I em Altamira-PA

Abstract

This work aims to identify different conceptions of space that support the concept of being affected by dams - subjects that emerge from the contradictions within the expansion of the energy industry in the context of the development of dependent capitalism in Brazil. The research is a case study about the residents of the Lagoa occupation in the Jardim Independente 1 neighborhood, in the city of Altamira, Pará. They have been organized together with the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) to be recognized as affected by the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant, in a case that highlights the limits of the spatial concept used by the electricity sector to define those affected. The research was based on secondary data and semi-structured interviews with former residents of the area and other actors involved with this process. The result of the research indicates the existence of at least two spatial perspectives that shape the disputes around the concept of the affected: an “areal conception of space”, which is related to the territorial-patrimonialist and water view of the affected, prioritizing the physical aspect of space and hiding social relations; and a “human” or “relational” conception of space, which considers the spatial effects of these large-scale projects under the logic of totality, taking into account the social relations in the production of space, including political determinations.