The Political Ecology of Indigenous Territorial Struggles in the Darien, Panama: Land Invasions, Partial State Recognition, and Racialized Discrimination in the Embera- Wounaan Collective Land Struggle
Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Abstract: By studying the case of land invasions on the Collective Land of Arimae and Emberá Puru, this thesis examines the material and symbolic conflicts underpinning the struggle for the recognition of indigenous collective lands in the Darién province of Panama. Data was collected primarily through semi-structured interviews and participant observation over a three-month period in Arimae in 2014. I argue that land invasions on indigenous territories are facilitated by the State’s ambivalence in the recognition of indigenous territorial rights, by discourses that devalue indigenous cultures and practices, and by the corruption of local State institutions. These elements, coupled with land invasions, promote internal rule violation and leadership cooptation in Arimae, which weaken community governance institutions. Yet, many community members retain a strong desire to fight for a legal recognition of their territory in order to halt land invasions, to protect the forest, and to secure the future of their children.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Marie-Line Sarrazin
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2616882015