Indigenous Environmental Conflicts in Mexico, 2007-2020: a Neoliberal and Environmental Justice Perspective on Collective Grievances
In this study, I set out to answer the question “Why is there variability in the distribution of indigenous environmental conflicts in Mexico?” Building off of previous literature on indigenous collective action, neoliberal grievances, and environmental justice, I argue that neoliberal reforms in Mexico have served to perpetuate and amplify the North-to-South “ecological debt,” causing disproportionate damage against indigenous communities, for whom territoriality is crucial. I test this hypothesis utilizing an analysis of state-level international trade and indigenous environmental conflicts from 2007-2020. While my findings do not support this hypothesis, they do foster hopeful implications for the state of indigenous resilience, and promising avenues for future research.
environmental justice, indigenous collective action, Mexico, neoliberalism, trade liberalization
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