“We will never cross this river” - The strange association between the power of backwardness slow history the “militant sociology” and the decline of the agrarian reform in Brazil.

Abstract

The article devotes itself to four main objectives. Firstly, it critically problematizes the dominant view Marxism holds on the “agrarian question”. The argument insists that this discussion, in fact, does not exist in the work of Marx. The second objective emphasises the presence of a “militant Sociology” which influences a significant part of Social Sciences that studies rural social processes. This interference is criticised by the author. In order to demonstrate the distortion, the author, as third objective of the article, discusses the most relevant aspects around land reform and its social actor, the MST. Finally, the last and fourth objective is to support the discussion of the three former objectives using José de Souza Martins’ extensive academic output. He is regarded as one of the leading social scientists in Brazil.