Sarney's laughing agricultural reform

the drawing of humor and the political chronicle in the journal of landless workers (1985-1988)

Abstract

This article analyzes the political discourse of the MST on agrarian reform in the government of President José Sarney through the cartoons published in the Jornal dos Trabalhadores Sem Terra – JST. It’s about thinking the uses of humor in the production, a criticism and opposition of the MST to the misdirections of Sarney's land policy, in addition to analyzing the forms of representation of the president, as laughable as his agrarian reform. The cartoons were fundamental in the production of criticism of the agrarian reform program of the New Republic, in addition to becoming a powerful weapon in the work of denouncing the government's setbacks, the agreements with the large land sector and the lack of commitment of parliamentarians with the democratization of the land. The selected cartoons represent José Sarney as a fragile president, a liar and an ally to the farmers, therefore, an obstacle to the democratization of society and land in Brazil. In addition to JST, other newspapers such as Correio Brazielense and Jornal do Brasil serve as a source for this study.