Abstract

In 1968 a group of nine U.S.-born Holdeman Mennonites purchased Cerrado land and later became some of the first farmers to produce high yields of corn and soybeans in Southwestern Goiás, Brazil. This article analyzes how Mennonite religion affects the political ecology of their soy production as a "lived religion." Beliefs in education, pacifism, and cultural survival led the community initially to flee the United States and their belief in non-materialism, pacifism, and devotion to the community continue to play direct roles in farming practices, business management, and community management. I document the ways that religion impacts engagement with the environment and how engagements with the environment relate to religion. I build on earlier work in political ecology to understand the role of religion in ecological interactions and engage with the intersection of political ecology theory and religion.

Keywords: Religion, Brazil, soy, Cerrado, ethnography, social values

How to Cite:

Ofstehage, A. L., (2026) “Gelasenheit in Goiás: A Mennonite political ecology”, Journal of Political Ecology 33(1): 6032. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/jpe.6032