Name: ELIZETE DA NÊIVA MOREIRA
Publication date: 21/08/2026
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| CARLOS TEIXEIRA DE CAMPOS JUNIOR | Presidente |
| FERNANDO CEZAR DE MACEDO MOTA | Examinador Externo |
| HELDER GOMES | Examinador Externo |
| LEANDRO BRUNO SANTOS | Examinador Interno |
| PAULO CÉSAR XAVIER PEREIRA | Examinador Externo |
Summary: This study aims to understand the reasons that led Espírito Santo to assume a leading
position in Brazil’s ornamental stone industry, as well as to analyze the specific processes
of capital reproduction and appropriation within this sector. The study is guided by the
following central question: why did Espírito Santo become the country's main ornamental
stone producer? The research demonstrates that, although favorable geological conditions
contributed to the development of the activity, the consolidation of the productive chain
resulted primarily from the articulation of different agents and historical processes,
notably state intervention, business associations, the reconfiguration of international
markets, and technological development, particularly in the processing stages carried out
locally. From a geographical perspective, the activity is structured around three main
microregions – Central South, Northwest, and Greater Vitória – which constitute the core
of Espírito Santo’s Local Productive Arrangement (APL). Since the beginning of the
twenty-first century, Espírito Santo has not only concentrated the largest share of Brazil’s
ornamental stone production but has also assumed a strategic role within the productive
chains of other states by processing a significant portion of the stones extracted elsewhere.
The findings reveal that capital accumulation in this sector extends beyond the direct
exploitation of industrial labor, also manifesting itself through the appropriation of rents
associated with landownership and, above all, mineral exploitation rights. These
mechanisms enable the capture of portions of socially produced surplus value through
specific forms of monopoly and valorization. At the same time, the expansion of the
industry intensifies the appropriation of nature, exposing the contradiction between the
growing social valorization of natural stones and the destruction of the landscapes from
which they originate. By examining these dynamics, this study contributes to a critical
understanding of capitalist accumulation and the socio-spatial formation of Espírito
Santo.
