“Nossas condições”: normatividade informal e mandonismo rural na fazenda irapuru sob o comando de theodorico bezerra (1940-1980)

Abstract

This article examines the informal regulation known as “Nossas Condições” (“Our Conditions”), established by Major-Colonel Theodorico Bezerra at Fazenda Irapuru (RN), between the 1940s and 1980s, as a private normative code with internal effectiveness. The study addresses the following legal issue: to what extent can a set of extralegal rules, instituted in a parallel power space, confront and sometimes override the official legal system? The objective is to demonstrate how the absence or complicity of the State enabled the social legitimization of a non-state legal order, grounded in discipline, productivity, and political loyalty. A qualitative methodology is adopted, with a historical-comparative approach and legal analysis of the provisions of “Nossas Condições” in light of the Brazilian legal system, especially the 1988 Federal Constitution. The study concludes that while some rules align with national legislation, most conflict with fundamental rights, revealing the operation of a symbolic and disciplinary power that replaces the State in peripheral contexts. The research contributes to understanding legal effectiveness in spaces where informal authorities gain legitimacy over formal State institutions.