“More than an idea in your head”: mystique, struggle and trust around the cap of the MST

Abstract

This paper aims to reflect on how meanings, values, and relationships are organized around the cap of the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST). The red accessory – which has found followers beyond the sphere of activism – can be understood as much more than an accessory that signifies a political stance or integration into the movement. In the relationship between leaders and activists, the cap can be used as a symbol that indicates the positions they hold within the structure of the movement. The analyses contained in this article were built around an event description, the transfer of a leadership position from one activist to another through a "passing of the cap" – which, in this case, is not just a figure of speech to symbolize the change but also the accessory itself passed down as a legacy. The episode exemplifies the mobilization of a set of native categories mainly expressed through "mystique", "commitment," "struggle" and "trust." The considerations presented throughout the text were structured based on empirical research conducted through participant observation and interviews with MST activists and leaders.