CONSTRUÇÃO SOCIAL DO MEIO AMBIENTE E DA CIDADANIA: UM ESTUDO DE CASO EM UM ASSENTAMENTO RURAL.

This article discusses the consequences of the social construction of the environment on the exercise of citizenship in a land reform settlement. It discusses the environment as a social construct, in order to the relation between ownership and access to natural resources, seeking to gain a better understanding of environmental and social relationships, and their implications for the construction of citizenship in the settlement studied ― the Don Orione settlement, in Betim, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It addresses the challenges of building citizenship, and its extension with the inclusion of environmental rights. The research techniques adopted were the application of forms, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation. It was observed that the environment is not an expression of social and political struggle for the community investigated, even in view of the environmental problems faced. The community does not exercise all the rights that constitute the exercise of citizenship, and the right to a healthy environment is compromised. Moreover, citizenship presupposes emancipation, and the members of Don Orione settlement do not yet constitute critical subjects capable of building their own history, or collectively organized. The community has a low level of cooperation and social organization, which is hindering the achievement of rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]