Between 1750 and 1850 the population of Sweden doubled. The increase was very unequally distributed among the different social groups of the rural population. The number of peasants grew very little, while the numbers of the Landless (crofters, bordars etc.) more than quadrupled. This study examines whether Christer Winberg's thesis of the Landless growth can be applied to Björklinge parish in Uppland. Winberg believes that it was mainly children of tenant farmers who became Landless.

This thesis analyses the rise and fall of social movements. Social movementsfunctions in the civil society, by contentious collective action they form identities,mobilize their forces and use repertoires of contentions to make new or previouslyunaccepted claims. They function in a limited timeframe, sooner or later they getinstitutionalized, marginalised or succumb into violence. The Landless movementin Brazil is one of the most profound social movements in the world; their majorgoal is a land reform. Since the leftwing president Lula da Silva won the Brazilianelection in 2002 the president has been unable to live up to the expectations fromthe Landless movement about implementing a land reform.

I Egendomslo?sa historier: Om historieproduktion i de jordlo?sas ro?relse (MST) underso?ks bera?t- telser om det fo?rflutna med upphov inom den sociala ro?relsen o movimento dos trabalhadores rurais sem terra (de jordlo?sa lantarbetarnas ro?relse) i Brasilien. Uppsatsens syfte a?r att uto?ka fo?rsta?elsen fo?r hur bera?ttelser om det fo?rflutna kan anva?ndas som en samha?llsfo?ra?ndrande kraft. I uppsatsen sta?lls fra?gan om hur bera?ttelser om det fo?rflutna blir en resurs fo?r MST:s pa?ga?ende organisering och kamp.