The legal concept of traditional peoples in Brazil has only been in existence since 2007, and the number of self-declared traditional peoples has increased dramatically since then. With this increase, unresolved questions become more urgent: When is a group considered a traditional people or community and who defines it? These questions will be the subject of this year's meeting "Round Table Brazil 2015" at the end of November.
In the late 1970s, the rubber tappers in the state of Acre, Brazil, were the first traditional communities to articulate themselves against the destruction of their territories. The murder of Chico Mendes drew national and international attention to this group. What was new about this resistance was that, for the first time, a group other than the indigenous people did not demand individual land through agrarian reform, but rather a collective territory for sustainable cultivation.
Call for collective territories for sustainable management
Today there are numerous groups that identify themselves as a traditional people or community. In 2007, a presidential decree created a legal framework that complements the rights of indigenous peoples and quilombolas laid down in the constitution. The demand for collective territories for sustainable management remains one of their central demands. The concept of traditional peoples and communities is thus relatively new on the political map. Many scientific, legal and political questions concerning them are still in an open discussion process.
Many open questions
When is a group considered a traditional people or community? Who defines that? Do young people want to stay in the communities? Do they also exist in the cities? Is the concept transferable to Europe/Germany? These questions will be explored at the conference together with guests from Brazil and Germany. Besides professional impulses there will be opportunities for discussion, networking and exchange. The conference will be bilingual and simultaneously translated. A market of opportunities offers space for participants to make their own offers.
The deadline for registration is 13 November 2015.
