The Rural School in the Mandassaia Neighborhood in the Context of the Rural–Urban Relationship and the Expansion of Agribusiness: Resistance, Identity, and Belonging

Abstract

This study analyzes the permanence of the rural school in the Mandassaia neighborhood, located in the municipality of Alfenas, Minas Gerais, within the context of socio-spatial transformations resulting from the intensification of the rural–urban relationship and the expansion of agribusiness. Historically marked by territorial isolation caused by the formation of the Furnas Lake and by the predominance of family farming, the neighborhood has undergone significant changes with the advance of coffee monoculture and, more recently, soybean cultivation. The research adopts a qualitative approach, based on a literature review, analysis of secondary and documentary data, as well as fieldwork and interviews with residents and school staff. The results indicate that, despite population decline and economic pressure on the territory, the Arlindo da Silveira Municipal School remains an important space of sociability, collective memory, and community articulation. The school’s presence contributes to the permanence of families in rural areas and to the strengthening of territorial bonds, assuming a strategic role in resisting the exclusionary dynamics imposed by agribusiness. It is concluded that the rural school in Mandassaia transcends its pedagogical function, constituting a central element in the construction of identity, belonging, and territorial resistance within the community.