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Articulations of Identity Through Struggle Among the Ch'orti' Maya Of ARTICULATIONS OF IDENTITY THROUGH STRUGGLE AMONG THE CH’ORTI’ MAYA OF COPÁN, HONDURAS By Fredy Rodriguez-Mejia A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Anthropology--Doctor of Philosophy 2016 ABSTRACT ARTICULATIONS OF IDENTITY THROUGH STRUGGLE AMONG THE CH’ORTI’ MAYA OF COPÁN, HONDURAS By Fredy Rodriguez-Mejia This dissertation examines the articulation of identities among the Ch’orti’ Maya in the municipal region of Copán Ruinas in Western Honduras. It traces the different categories or labels used to define the indigenous sector of Copán since the time of the colony (in the 1500s) until the emergence of indigenous activism (in the 1990s) during which indigenous people began to mobilize using the ethnic category Ch’orti’ Maya. I look at how and why, during this period of mobilization, indigenous people have constructed and performed certain identities in their encounters with non-indigenous society (including public officials, tourists, and landowners) and other indigenous people. It also examines the different ways these identities are contested, the kinds of identities that are relevant in indigenous communities, and the role that the state, the tourism industry, and activism have played in the kinds of identities that are articulated. The research for this dissertation took place over the course of 11 months between June, 2012 and August, 2013. My population sample (totaling 101 participants) included: 1) Ch’orti’ Maya activists who work with the Ch’orti-Maya Indigenous Council of Honduras (CONIMCHH), 2) Ch’orti’ Maya villagers from 3 different communities, and 3) non-indigenous people who work with indigenous leaders and communities. This last group included workers of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), activists, and government officials. I used demographic surveys, participant observation, individual interviews and group interviews. In examining how and why certain identities are articulated and performed I draw from Foucault’s (1982:212) notion that an individual is both marked by and bounded to his/her own identity by “conscience or self-knowledge,” and also a subject to other forces he/she depends on or is controlled by. This approach is relevant to understanding how forces such as the state, the tourism industry, and activism influence ethnic identity performances and articulations (through their expectations of indigeneity). However, I argue that beyond these articulations of ethnicity, as individuals navigate different kinds of struggles, they evoke diverse (gendered, classed, racial, and ethnic) identities that more adequately represent their realities. I found that in response to non-indigenous society’s expectations of indigeneity and ethnicity, indigenous people performed certain practices marked or narrated as Ch’orti’ Maya in order to assert their legitimacy as an ethnic group and also gain access to land and other resources. Beyond the performance of narrated practices, however, people’s understandings and enactment of identity reflect the intersection of multiple categories that shape one another as individuals navigate different encounters and struggles. In examining people’s struggles more carefully, we can understand not only how and why an individual may inhabit multiple identities (Medina 2004), but also how our expectations of people’s actions (based on categorizations) may lead us to overlook other important non-narrated practices. Although these practices are not narrated as Ch’orti’ Maya, they are important to community members and also address communities’ struggles on a different dimension. Copyright by FREDY RODRIGUEZ-MEJIA 2016 In loving memory of my mother Domnina Mejia and two other people whom I am blessed to have in my life, Cameron L. McNeil and Sue Davis. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The arduous process of writing a dissertation can only be done with the support of a large community of mentors, family, friends and even acquaintances. The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the help, love and support of so many different individuals, who, in one way or another, have helped me along this journey, First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Laurie Medina for believing in me. During my first years in the department of Anthropology at Michigan State University, Laurie took me in as her student and since then she has been an ever-present force throughout my years here, teaching me everything there is to know about being an Anthropologist. Laurie’s tireless dedication to her students is immeasurable and her support, guidance and patience over the last eights year has helped me become the scholar that I am today. Laurie, there is no way to express the gratitude that I feel for all that you have done for me. I am also forever indebted to two individuals who I consider family and who have been so closely involved in my growth as a person and as an academic: Dr. Cameron L. McNeil and Dr. Sue Davis. Thank you Cameron L. McNeil for taking me under your wing, helping me come to the United States to go to college and for your continued and tremendous source of support in every way possible. Without your help, support, and sisterly love, I would have never imagined that I could become an Anthropologist. And to Dr. Sue Davis, who adopted me as her son when I first came to college to the United States. Thank you for helping me navigate and overcome the difficult months of culture shock, and for being a parent for me over the last years during both difficult and happy times. I would not be here if it was not for your love, support and guidance along with that of the wonderful Jeff Davison. I would also like to thank my family, who also have walked this journey with me and supported me unconditionally along the way. vi Writing this dissertation would also not have been possible without the support of my committee. Thank you Dr. Jennifer Goett, Dr. Adan Quan, and Dr. Mindy Morgan, for your invaluable insights and time spent working with me. To my writing partner, Taz Karim Daniels, who worked tirelessly with me for two years at every single coffee shop and library of East Lansing, suffering and celebrating every single aspect of writing this dissertation, I can’t thank you enough for your presence and motivation. I am also deeply indebted to the Department of Anthropology for supporting me all of these years and providing me with the space and resources to grow professionally and academically, especially Dr. Jodie O’Gorman. Also, thank you to Dr. Linda Hunt for being an incredible mentor during my years at MSU and for teaching me to be a better ethnographer; her love and support have made me feel like a family member here at the university. Many thanks to my colleagues and friends Rowenn Kalman, James Bielo, Andrea Freidus, David Reyes Gastelum, Amy Jamison, Emily Altimare, Sabrina Perlman, Meenakshi Nayaran, Ashesh Prasann, Shikha Bista, Ivan Wu, Simon Golden, Ali Abdifatah, Sarena Bathia, Adnan Dalal, Brenna McGinnis, Dan Comly, Robert Weidmer, Mauricio Losilla, Rodrigo Albornoz, Mathew Faber, Patrick Vaelli, Courtney Larson, Jordan Macias, Arun Sivanandam, Anthony Rosado, Nick Skaff, Victoria Salekin, Akos Nagy, Dave Glovsky, Emily Riley, and Ryan & Rachel Klataske. Your support outside of school has meant the world to me. My sincere appreciation to the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) and my community of colleagues there for welcoming and helping me grow into their community of scholars. I am specially thankful for the friendship and support of Mr. Steven Thomas, Khalfani Cameron, Phillip Brooks, Alexandra Colon, Kamahra Ewing, Dr. Tony Nunez, and Dr. Julius Jackson. I also would like to thank my family of Mayanists in Copán and vii abroad for inspiring me to keep working hard, and for allowing me to be part of your intellectual community. I am especially thankful for Linda Mortensen, who has been an inspirational role model with her incredible work with the Ch’orti’ Maya; her advice and guidance have also encouraged me to be a better researcher. Kristin Landau for being such a wonderful and efficient team player while collaborating in different projects and publications. And other Mayanist and community members such as Bill Girard, who has always been such an inspiration, Katie Miller Wolf, Mark Wolf, Brent Metz, Eddie Barrios, Walter Burgos, Carolina Sandoval, David Rodas, Inmar Diaz, Sandra Guerra, Argi Diez, Carin Steen, Profesor Adalid Martinez Perdomo, Gerardo Torres, Edgar Zelaya, Nelly Villamil, Alex Tokovinine, Eliseo Fajardo, Lincoln Vaughan, Barbara Fash, Dr, William L. Fash, William Fash III, Rosa Fash, Carlos Guerra, Maria Esther Castejon, Katia Duke, Mirian Chinchilla, and Salvador Segovia. Naturally this work would not have been possible without the unconditional support of my Ch’orti’ Maya collaborators. My deepest gratitude to the incredible members of CONIMCHH, for the opening their doors to me, and for letting me work in their communities. I am especially thankful for Don Cesar Rivera, Doña Natividad Perez, Don Jenaro Amador and Doña Berta Herdandez whose guidance and support made my research possible. My work would not have been possible without the invaluable assistance of research collaborators such as Rigoberto Dubon, Mauricio Interiano, Norma Cecilia Vasquez, Marcos Perez, and Doryan Murcia. I am also indebted to The Center for Gender in Global Context, Dr. Anne Ferguson and The Inherit Foundation for funding my dissertation research. Ultimately my partner in crime the amazing Diana F. Salinas, who put up with me through thick and thin during this writing process, reading, editing, formatting, providing feedback and cheering me up during this never- viii ending process. I would not have been able to finish this piece if it wasn’t for her unconditional love, support, patience, perseverant nature and incredibly positive attitude. This dissertation is for the Ch’orti’ Maya men and women of western Honduras.
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