Periodic Reporting for period 2 - AWAREFOREST (Redefining socio-environmental struggles: contributions from indigenous women from the Ecuadorian Amazon)
Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2024-08-31
AWAREFOREST'S main challenge is to study the sexual division of work in Ecuadorian Amazon, uncovering histories of struggles of indigenous women towards the advance of oil extractive activities. The objective is to understand if, and in which way gender constructions contribute to develop different perceptions and reactions between indigenous women and men with regard to the social and environmental impacts of extractivism.The original qualitative, bottom-up and interdisciplinary methodological approach of AWAREFOREST has allowed to collect oral histories of indigenous women in the context of their organisation, as well as to establish connexions and solidarities with similar social processes and movements in other parts of the continent and abroad. This last task in particular has been developed through this project in order to achieve one its main purposes: to co-create knowledge with indigenous women and to introduce their stories and experiences into the global Social Sciences theory and practice. For AWAREFOREST, it has been fundamental to disseminate this knowledge about resilience and emancipation processes, especially at this time of rapid socio-environmental changes and increasing pressure on indigenous peoples lives and territories. Moreover, this research studies gender in its multiple dimensions, as a product of the convergence between race, sex and class, and the expression of gendered individual roles in the struggle for access to land, for dignity and autonomy. Through the concrete example of the Movement of Amazon Women Defenders of the Forest, this project identifies how these women are currently mobilizing and redefining meanings about their bodies and territories, based on shared reflections of personal and collective, local and global experiences of struggles for autonomy and self-determination.The co-construction of knowledge with indigenous women from different peoples and organisations has been essential to build intercultural dialogues with society, with governmental and non-governmental institutions. Through scientific publications, oral communications, participation in policy debates and training, this research highlighted some elements of the political participation of indigenous women contributing to enhance existing interdisciplinary analytical frameworks on the understanding of current configurations of gender and socio-environmental issues in the context of the Amazon. Despite the limits in analysing the numerous difficulties that Indigenous women have to face in the context of extractivism, this research allowed to emphasise the multiple dimensions of their struggles, of the construction of an individual and collective political subjectivity in line with their idea of building the Good Living that they imagine for themselves and their communities.
AWAREFOREST has allowed to expand the researcher’s participation in academic networks, to consolidate her research profile and integration in the profession. During these 36 months, I have participated in seminars, conferences and courses, particularly relating to decolonial and feminist theories. This enriched my theoretical knowledge, which was central to the implementation of this project. Benefiting from the supervision of experienced academics, Marion Tillous and Rebecca Igreja, and the enriching environment and support of research groups and institutions, LEIJUS (FLACSO- Brazil) and LADYSS (University of Paris 8-France), this project has allowed me to improve my capacity to produce academic publications as well as to co-organise scientific activities and meetings (see description below). Taking part in international events has been essential to create new networks and collaborations and to expand theoretical dialogues with members of other Academic Centres and research groups such as the Latin American college of Global Studies, the International Cooperative University, the Latin American network of Legal Anthropology and the Working Group Feminist Constellations of the University of New York. Details on activities and contributions developed during this period will be presented in the following section of this Report. AWAREFOREST innovative approach translated into studying alternative knowledges and epistemologies, formed through socio-environmental struggles in the Amazonian context. The action has created possibilities of new theoretical dialogues but it has also promoted national and international solidarities facilitating innovative South-South and North-South exchanges between academics, governmental and non-governmental institutions and grassroots organisations interested in learning about complex challenges posed in the context of socio-environmental struggles. Finally, this project has proven to be a great opportunity to expend my research project management skills, particulary in budget management and reporting.
This Action has offered me the opportunity to enrich my research with contributions from decolonial, post-colonial and feminist theories which have been essential to observe social constructions and representations of sex, gender, class, race and its intersections in the context of the Amazon. These theories have allowed to question previous approaches inscribed in the line of the epistemologies of the North, offering a contribution to question colonial frameworks of knowledge production that continue to sustain a “north-south” division. In this sense, AWAREFOREST has contributed to strengthening an interdisciplinary South-South and North-South dialogue between researchers working on social and environmental inequalities. Moreover, this action has developed an innovative empirical input into the studies of human/ non-human relationships, by bringing the perspectives of indigenous women on the understanding of bodies and territories. Understood as one of the principal dimensions of their struggle, this perspective has been highlighted, paving the way to future research horizons in Europe and Latin America, as a part of the wider task of substantially reconceptualising socio-environnemental struggles. The interdisciplinary perspective of both laboratories, LADYSS and LADES has been fundamental to this project, opening up multiple opportunities to enrich debates on critical and post-critical theories and the Epistemologies of the South. Participating in the life of both Centres, University of Paris 8 and FLACSO-Brazil is offering me the opportunity to enhance important skills such as teaching, managing research projects, organizing conferences and other dissemination activities as well as improving my publishing track record. The past 36 months have had a fundamental impact on the construction of research networks which are developing high quality research in Social Sciences. AWAREFOREST is engaged with ongoing (inter)national political debates about the social and environmental issues linked to the exploration and exploitation of resources in the Amazon. Through publications, photo exhibition and participation in non-academic events aimed to a wider audience, this project has allowed to disseminate critical knowledge on the potentiality of indigenous people’s knowledges and practices for the construction of social and environmental justice. This can be an important contribution for future practices and operations regarding extractive development projects and the conception of public policy.