The Zapatista Army for National Liberation, or EZLN for their initials in Spanish, has championed the rights of indigenous people in Southern Mexico since 1983 (Campbell and Sampaolo, 2017). The organized faction was a response to the economic oppression of farmers through the flooding of subsidized corn under NAFTA and the elimination of community-owned land (Ibid, 2017). Yet, I was intrigued by the group’s emphasis on gender equality. The group introduced themselves in 1993 by publishing a volume that included a “Women’s Revolutionary Law” (Marcos, 2014). Today, the assembly of indigenous people have formed autonomous governments, or ‘caracoles,’ that implement these feminist theories in rural Chiapas, Mexico. This reading explores the coalition of indigenous nations using transnational feminist praxis.
These readings give an introduction to the EZLN and how the association is still alive today. By selecting this topic, I hope to introduce more people to the power indigenous communities have. The decolonial organization challenges stereotypes of a powerless, uneducated people. Women and men are working together to change the colonial attitudes that have subjugated them. Marcos’ article details the reflective and critical volumes the group has published over the years to measure their success at implementing their policies. The volumes are honest about their failures and proud of the improvement they have championed. This written record is unique because it codifies their knowledge and allows us, the public, to learn from them as well.
URL/Link:
Campbell, H. and Sampaolo M. (2017 June 23). Zapatista National Liberation Army. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zapatista-National-Liberation-Army (Original work published 2011 September 9).
Marcos, S. (2014 July 22). The Zapatista Women’s Revolutionary Law as it is lived today. Open Democracy. Retrieved from https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/zapatista-womens-revolutionary-law-as-it-is-lived-today/
Knoll, A. (2019 January 30). The Zapatistas Have Been Revolutionary Force in Mexico for Decades. [Image]. Teen Vogue. Retrieved from https://www.teenvogue.com/story/zapatistas-have-been-revolutionary-force
Keywords: Indigenous Feminism, Praxis, Government, Autonomy
Author: marielh
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