This book offers an analysis of the territory of Barcarena, in the Brazilian Amazon. The author studies the land use and the implemented modernization policies that made it one of the richest cities of the state.

The political system uses this territory as a resource to provide for the needs of a small circle of social agents. A system of conservative political actions enforces the process of modernization of the Baracena territory. Innovations in the Barcarena territory, such as the implementation of the aluminium factory Albras/Alunorte and the territorial configuration or public administration, lead to modernization simulations and artificial devices. The intended effect however is more about appearing to be modern, than actual modernization. The territorial use of Barcarena is aimed to protect the interests and privileges of the elite.

Professor João Santos Nahum is a research scientist in the field of agricultural geography in the Amazon, politics and the organization of agricultural areas, culture of the traditional population in the Amazon, social-ecological conflicts and natural resources in the Amazon. 
He graduated in Geography (1992) and Social Sciences (1995) from the Universidade Federal do Pará in Brazil. He specialized in State and Border (1996) and received his Masters title in Planning and Development Studies at the heart of the Amazon(2000). After a specialization in Geography and Environmental Planning at PUC-MG and Unesp-Rio, João Santos Nahum obtained a Geography doctorate in Spatial Organization (2006). 
In 2008 prof. João Santos Nahum joined the Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences) as a professor in Geography and Carthography in the Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geografia da UFPA (Graduate Program of Geography of the UFPA). 

Chapter 1: The Modern Territorial Restructuring.- Chapter 2: The Use of the Territory as a Resource to the Barcarena Elite.- Chapter 3: The Government of Laurival Magno Cunha and the Implementation of the Fiscal Responsibility Law.- Chapter 4: Conclusion.