O medo dos retirantes: o discurso do terror e as necropolíticas de socorros em tempos de seca (1877-1915)

Abstract

In the present research, we propose to investigate the historical experience of the droughts that occurred in Ceará between 1877 and 1915, through questions raised from the concept of Necropolitics (MBEMBE, 2003/2016), in order to understand how genocidal practices were mobilized, responsible for exposing poor rural inhabitants to situations where they could die. To reflect on these issues, the investigation followed the path of analyzing how feelings of fear regarding crowds of the starving mobilized governmental actions, expressed in the undertaking of territorial control practices, in the case of emigration projects and the construction of shelters and concentration camps. On one hand, we aim to expose how fear was produced discursively, through different discursive genres and by different subjects. On the other hand, we seek to observe the trajectory of these control policies, in an effort to situate how they decisively influenced the mortality of the displaced. Thus, in light of the proposed analytical pathways, we should highlight the operation and functioning of necropower amidst the experience of droughts.