Warmikuna Juyayay! Ecuadorian and Latin American Indigenous Women Gaining Spaces in Ethnic Politics
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology Anthropology 2014 WARMIKUNA JUYAYAY! ECUADORIAN AND LATIN AMERICAN INDIGENOUS WOMEN GAINING SPACES IN ETHNIC POLITICS Maria S. Moreno Parra University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Moreno Parra, Maria S., "WARMIKUNA JUYAYAY! ECUADORIAN AND LATIN AMERICAN INDIGENOUS WOMEN GAINING SPACES IN ETHNIC POLITICS" (2014). Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology. 14. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/anthro_etds/14 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Maria S. Moreno Parra, Student Dr. Sarah Lyon, Major Professor Dr. Hsain Ilahiene, Director of Graduate Studies WARMIKUNA JUYAYAY! ECUADORIAN AND LATIN AMERICAN INDIGENOUS WOMEN GAINING SPACES IN ETHNIC POLITICS _____________________________ DISSERTATION _____________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By María Moreno Parra Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Sarah Lyon, Professor of Anthropology Lexington, Kentucky 2014 Copyright © María Moreno Parra 2014 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION WARMIKUNA JUYAYAY! ECUADORIAN AND LATIN AMERICAN INDIGENOUS WOMEN GAINING SPACES IN ETHNIC POLITICS This research utilizes an agency framework to examine the complexities of the participation of indigenous women in local, national, and global spaces of activism. By examining the connections between processes of globalization of indigenous and women’s rights, development agendas, local politics, and gender dynamics in indigenous organizations, this research highlights the connection of ethnicity, gender, and power in an indigenous organization of Cotacachi, Ecuador, and for Ecuadorian and Latin American indigenous leaders and professionals working in national and global arenas. Four interconnected topics are explored: (1) the understanding of indigenous women’s participation in the history of their organization within a context of interethnic discrimination and poverty that especially affects indigenous women; (2) the relation between indigenous women and the changing demands on indigenous leadership due to reconfigurations of rural livelihoods, the ascendance of the indigenous movement as a political actor, and the sustained presence of development projects; (3) the challenges indigenous women face and the strategies they enact as local leaders in their communities and organization negotiating essentialized constructions of indigenous women’s identity and forms of gender inequality; (4) the transition to local, national, and international formal politics and indigenous activism in which indigenous women’s legitimacy increasingly necessitates both experience in the indigenous movement and professionalization and expert knowledge. Using an ethnographic methodology including interviews and participant observation, the research explores the participation of indigenous female leaders who, even if their strategies have favored working within the indigenous movement’s wider agenda, are also contesting forms of gender, ethnic, and class inequality they find in their own organizations and beyond. Thus, the research highlights the challenges they face, the strategies they resort to, and the possibilities of articulating a differentiated agenda that reflects their particular interests. KEY WORDS: Indigenous women; Ethnic Politics; Gender; Ecuador; Latin America. María Moreno Parra June 27, 2014 WARMIKUNA JUYAYAY! ECUADORIAN AND LATIN AMERICAN INDIGENOUS WOMEN GAINING SPACES IN ETHNIC POLITICS By María Moreno Parra Dr. Sarah Lyon Director of Dissertation Dr. Hsain Ilahiane Director of Graduate Studies June 27, 2014 Dedicated to María Parra, Iván Moreno, and all my family, for their love and unconditional support during this journey ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation could not have been written without the support of many people. Among the people I would like to thank, my gratitude goes first and foremost to the compañeras and compañeros of UNORCAC and RMIB. Their generosity made this research possible and their help and comments were crucial for the recognition of important elements of my analysis. They are too numerous to all be mentioned here but my deepest appreciation goes to all of them. I also wish to thank respondents of my study, who remain anonymous for confidentiality purposes. In the Department of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Sarah Lyon, and the members of my committee, Dr. Mary Anglin, Dr. Cristina Alcalde, Dr. Lisa Cliggett, Dr. Susan Roberts, and Dr. Carmen Martínez Novo. Their help and insights have guided me and challenged my thinking. Friends and family both in Ecuador and in the United States have accompanied me in this process and given me courage when I needed it the most. I want to express my gratitude to colleagues and friends in Kentucky: Patti Meyer, my writing buddy, and Jim Calonico. Both have helped me discuss ideas and review drafts of this document, and offered their support at every step of this endeavor. Thanks also to Ivonne Marte, Paul Sacoto, and Martha Granados for their friendly presence during these years. Special thanks go to Antonio Martín Gómez for his kindness, patience, and encouraging words. Finally, I thank my family and friends in Ecuador for their continuous support. To Pía Vera, María José Escobar, Cristina Cueva, Mariana Marín, Julie Hazlewood, and Dana Hill, dear friends who are present in spite of the distance. And to my family, to the iii women and men who have provided me inspiration and paved my way, and to those who have nurtured me in my life and career ventures: thanks especially to my parents María and Iván, my brothers Iván and Patricio, my sister-in-law Alicia, my grandparents Mariana and Lida, still with us, and in memoriam of Herminio and Abdón, thanks for the lessons of love and solidarity. Lastly, to the twins Vicente and Iván, for brightening up our days. The research was conducted with the financial support of the Lambda Alpha Graduate Overseas Research Grant, the O’Dear Award for Graduate Student Research in Latin America and the Susan Abbott-Jamieson Research Award of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky, the Bonnie J. Cox Dissertation Research Award of the Gender and Women’s Studies Department at the University of Kentucky, and the University of Kentucky Dissertation Enhancement Award. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Understanding Indigenous Women’s Activism in Mixed Organizations ......... 6 Understanding Human Action: Agency .......................................................................... 6 On Practice Theory and Agency .................................................................................. 8 What is Agency After All? ........................................................................................ 10 Specifying Structures: the Intersectionality of Gender, Ethnicity, Class, and Nation .. 14 Reconfigurations of the Relationship between Indigenous Women and the State .... 16 Crisis of the Indigenous Movement and the Post-Neoliberal Moment ..................... 21 Indigenous