POLÍTICA DE SANEAMENTO PARA QUILOMBOLAS: O caso do Quilombo Urbano da Liberdade em São Luís/MA

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes public sanitation policy in the context of urban quilombos, focusing on the Urban Quilombo of Liberdade, located in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil. The study is based on the recognition of basic sanitation as a fundamental human right and a structuring public policy, directly related to the production of urban space, social issues, and the socio-spatial inequalities historically constituted in Brazil. The research is grounded in the theoretical framework of historical-dialectical materialism and adopts a predominantly qualitative approach, supported by quantitative data, combining bibliographic review, documentary analysis, secondary data, and semi-structured interviews conducted with quilombo residents, public managers, and representatives of quilombola social movements. The results demonstrate that sanitation policy in the studied territory is marked by punctual advances, structural limitations, and institutional challenges, especially regarding the capacity of public authorities to address the territorial, geographic, racial, and cultural specificities of urban quilombos. The study concludes that the universalization of sanitation in these territories requires integrated public policies guided by the Right to the City, spatial justice, and the recognition of quilombola communities as collective subjects of rights.