This paper analyzes the contribution of so-called 'land struggles' in the creation of new forms of 'social meaning' in a sugar plantation region of the Brazilian Northeast. Analysis of interviews with militants from various movements coordinating land occupations in the region reveals that, as well as supporting rural people's access to land, these organizations enable their leaders to become prominent figures in local urban politics, thereby contributing to the modification of traditional power structures.
Social movements; Social meaning; Local impacts; Landless rural workers; Pernambuco