Environmental History and Rural Comodities: interfaces between human experiences and territorialities in the Chico Gomes Community, Crato (Ceará, BR)

Abstract

In this article, the aim is to analyze the space of the Chico Gomes Community (Crato-Ceará-Brazil), observing how the territorialities and identities of that community are constructed by its residents. For this purpose, the documentary sources used include projects developed by the Cáritas Diocesana of Crato in collaboration with the Chico Gomes Community, such as the Solaris Project, Meizinheiras do Pé de Serra, and the Bioágua Project, as well as interviews conducted through Oral History. The study examines how these projects were appropriated and utilized by the residents of the Chico Gomes Community, seeking to understand how they served as channels of transformation both in practices and social uses. The article aims to observe the engagement of Chico Gomes Community residents in relation to nature, territory, memory, and the experiences involving the culture and health of the community's inhabitants. By exploring the field of Environmental History, the study seeks to understand the meanings produced from the relationship involving the social actors within the space that houses the Chico Gomes Community. Methodologically, the study is based on Thematic Oral History, which occupies the central role in understanding the accounts of residents and leaders of the Chico Gomes Community, their experiences, and their interpretations of daily life in the area, drawing on the theoretical framework of Delgado (2006). Interviews are utilized, aiming to systematize them through the methodology of Oral History. These interviews reflect the daily lives and experiences of the Chico Gomes Community residents, as well as seek to give visibility to the experiences of some residents and their relationship with the projects.