Concessions Of Conservation

This thesis examines how the dominant philosophies of development in Brazil, from colonial to contemporary rationalizations, have entrenched systems of land dispossession, particularly against Quilombo communities. Tracing the historical evolution of land, race, and power from colonialism to the present, this study highlights how land-use policies have continually undermined Black sovereignty in favor of extractivist economic models. Through interviews with Quilombolas from Pitanga dos Palmares and Morro de São João, this thesis explores how contemporary conservation frameworks, particularly the New Forest Code of 2012, continue to facilitate land loss under the guise of sustainable development. In response, it advances Quilombo-Futurism as a redefinition of progress, where sovereignty, memory, and futurity prevail, offering an alternative model for both national and global development futures.