Topography of Change: The Politics of Place in Southern Bahia, Brazil

2023-2028 Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Grant

The Porto Sul port terminal is a proposed infrastructure complex in the southern region of Bahia, Brazil. Linking an iron ore mine in the interior of the state with transnational shipping routes, the development was announced by state government and its private partners with fanfare 15 years ago. Local resistance, among other factors, stalled the ambitious project, with activists arguing that it brings risks for a region known for its beauty and biodiversity, and economically dependent upon agroecology, cacao, tourism, and artisanal trades. Supporters, however, say the region will benefit from the port's new infrastructure and influx of workers, even if only temporarily. This project will trace a topography of the changes wrought by this tug and pull around the development. We ask, what conflicts and power relationships are shaping this situation, and how do they affect locals' capacity to respond to change? What tropes, narratives, and practices of sense-making are in play? How are Porto Sul's public-private partners working to garner community buy-in, and how are locals mobilizing to make them fulfill their promises? The result will be a case which illuminates the nexus of the global and the local in the midst of land demarcation disputes, climate events, and fallout from the pandemic.