The brazilian semi-arid region at Insa discourses and institutional projects in dispute

Abstract

The object that instigates our reflection in this article is the relationship between science and institutional strategies for the development of the Semiarid region, observing the power relations, disputes and conflicts, taking the Insa (National Institute of the Semiarid Region) as an empirical field. As with any sociological research, there were several back-and-forth movements translated into the effort to construct an article that reflects the institutional dilemma of intervening in the semiarid region, when the definition of Semiarid region itself is the target of disputes. The article aims to contribute to the sociological debate, bringing to the table the Insa as an exemplary case for thinking about science and scientific institutions as a vector of development and an important actor in confronting social and regional inequalities. We adopted the qualitative approach, because it allows us to understand and explain aspects of reality and the dynamics of social relations that cannot be quantified or reduced to variables. Finally, we seek to understand how internal issues and conflicts confuse the meaning of being-thinking-doing of Insa, in a movement that is articulated with social actors and groups both internal and external to the Institute itself.