PCharacterization of rural residents as peasants in the Chacabuco, 9 de Julio, and Belgrano Departments of the southwestern Chaco region.

Abstract

This article addresses the issue of conceptually defining the social subject in a study of social representations about forestry in rural areas of southwestern Chaco. The objective is to establish whether the surveyed actors should be defined as "rural residents" or "peasants," considering theoretical, historical, and empirical dimensions. Using an exploratory-descriptive qualitative-quantitative approach, interviews, questionnaires, and field observations were conducted with members of rural associations. The collected data were analyzed using analytical-synthetic, systemic, and graphic methods. The results reveal a way of life based on family production, pluriactivity, and a strong connection to the territory, under conditions of structural precariousness. It is concluded that, from a sociological and historical perspective, these individuals possess the characteristics of peasants, which allows them to be conceptualized as such for the analytical purposes of this thesis, ensuring theoretical coherence and validity in the study of social representations.