O porto do Itaqui e a economia política do território: circuitos produtivos, conflitos e reconfigurações no Maranhão

Abstract

This dissertation examines the Port of Itaqui in São Luís (MA) as a strategic node in the socio- spatial reconfiguration of Maranhão state, through the lens of the Political Economy of Territory. It argues that the port is not a neutral technical facility, but a structuring element of productive spatial circuits that articulate local, regional, and global scales, subordinating territory to the logic of capitalist accumulation. The analysis demonstrates how the implementation and expansion of the port complex, initially linked to major mining and metallurgical projects (1970s) and later to the agro-commodity export circuit, engendered a process of port alienation of territory. This concept, developed from a dialogue between Milton Santos and Ana Clara Torres Ribeiro, refers to the transformation of geographical space into a strategic resource for external hegemonic actors, resulting in the loss of social control over natural and cultural heritage, the exogenous redefinition of its functions, and the consolidation of corporate governance. Through theoretical-empirical analysis, the study shows that Itaqui's logistical specialization in global commodity flows promotes a selective economic modernization alongside socio-territorial fragmentation, characterized by the forced displacement of traditional communities, socio-environmental conflicts, and systematic rights violations. It concludes that the port embodies the contradictions of unequal and combined development, acting as a vector for accumulation by dispossession that generates abstract wealth at the expense of territorial sovereignty, environmental justice, and the social reproduction of local populations.