Agricultural social movements in contemporary Uruguay

an examination of the spatial dimensions of actions during 2022

Abstract

The focus of this text is to contribute to the conceptualization of collective expressions within the Uruguayan agrarian context from the perspective of social and territorial movements. This is achieved through the analysis and characterization of actions identified during the year 2022. To this end, it was necessary to examine and critique the theory of social movements from a geographical standpoint, discerning its limitations and contributions to the social sciences. Additionally, a methodology was developed for systematically surveying and cataloguing the movements’ daily actions, with the digital press serving as a primary source. Among the key findings were the identification of 115 actions undertaken by agrarian social movements, with heightened activity noted in the months of July and November, and 33% of these actions occurring in the central-southern region of the country. Notably, the Rural Trade Union, Ruralist-Agribusiness, Trade Union, and Environmentalist Movements distinguished themselves with the highest number of actions. Furthermore, demonstrations were identified as the most prevalent type of action, with public statements being the predominant form. It is important to highlight that, on one hand, the methodology enabled the quantification of the varied strategies employed by agrarian social movements in Uruguay, offering a snapshot of the field of actions and the political disputes transpiring. On the other hand, the geographical conceptualization pertaining to socio-spatial and socio-territorial movements is considered quite broad for the Uruguayan context, given that the unit of analysis is the action of the movement, rather than the movement itself.