Contradictions of regional development in Brazil: territorial formation and international insertion

Abstract

The theme of this article is regional development in Brazil. What variables can explain the different regionalizations that have occurred in Brazil? Are there links between regional configuration, the accumulation of inequalities and the occurrence of social conflicts throughout the territorial formation of Brazil? What explains the nature of Brazil’s insertion into the world-system? To answer these questions, the following objectives were pursued: proceed to a re-reading of the territorial formation of Brazil, supported by selected interpreters of Brazilian social thought, in order to identify the variables that can explain its regionalizations; seek links between regional configuration, the accumulation of inequalities and the occurrence of social conflicts throughout the territorial formation of Brazil; gather evidence to explain Brazil’s international insertion. As to the method, the research that gave rise to the article made use of the dialectical method of approach and the comparative, statistical and historical methods of procedure; the data were obtained from documentary research, bibliographical research and statistical survey. The results indicate that the regional configuration of Brazil, marked by inequalities, can be explained by its passive insertion in the world-system.