Tag: Case Studies

Background
Bolivia has been ravaged by the early effects of climate change, as have many countries in the global south. In the Amazonian region, record flooding has threatened lives, while in the lowlands severe drought has taken hold. Meanwhile, the glaciers of the highland region are shrinking, drastically reducing the countries sources of clean water.

The retreat of Chacaltaya Glacier, in the mountains outside of La Paz, as documented by Researchers from NASA GISS (1) shows the alarming effects of climate change in the country. In response to these catastrophes, Bolivian people have begun organizing. In the 1990s, a group of indigenous activists and environmental activist banded together to fight against ecological destruction. They argued that resource rights were directly tied to the public good. Rights and use of resources is directly tied to a wide variety of issues, from indigenous rights to national sovereignty.
Indigenous culture and cultural Shifts in response to climate change:

Counter Climate Change Organization
Though the original movement in the 1990s has changed forms over the past decades, in response to our changing knowledge of ecological destruction and climate change, organization around these issues has persisted in the country. One of the interesting forms of this activism is CONAMAQ (National Council for Ayllus and Markas of Qullasuyu). CONAMAQ is mobilizing as an alternative to capitalism and hinging its argument on an idealized vision of indigeneity. This group argues that the best way to fight climate change is to return to a collective, idealistic style that they term the Ayllu (2). The argument is not baseless. CONAMAQ argues that returning to a “commons” ideal surrounding resource management will help the country make more responsible decisions regarding resources. Given that the country is still dealing with a neoliberal and largely privatized resource economy, it is likely that shifting to a more collective, public understanding of resource management will mitigate some ecological problems. In the 1990s and 2000s, this was exactly the goal of the movement, to “reclaim ‘the commons’ from private hands,” (2).  However, many activists are now arguing for the return to the Ayllu. 
The Ayllu
The imagined Ayllu, as illustrated in a political poster in Bolivia (3)

The Ayllu structure defined the ancient Incan civilization, and persists to some extent in Quechua and Aymara communities in rural Bolivia. Ayllus are self sustaining family units with a single leader and often associated minor god. They have also been widely hailed as the way to solve climate struggles in Bolivia. CONAMAQ “conceptualizes the ayllu as an egalitarian and Pre-columbian kin-based and collectively owned territorial space: the key to their political work is claiming autonomy and self-sufficiency,” (2) and advocate for the development of communities of this type in Bolivia.
However, many indigenous people within Bolivia do not agree with this solution. Every year, Bolivia grows more urban as indigenous people leave the country side, where they can no longer survive on subsistence agriculture methods. Most do not want to return, and feel tied to the city. Furthermore, the return to ayllu argument does not provide a solution for the climate change issue that affect urban centers. The city of El Alto in Bolivia is experiencing a water crisis from a combination of climate issues and poor infrastructure, but abandoning the city to return to the countryside will not solve this problem.
Within indigenous communities, climatic changes have forced a reconging about culture and the future survival of community and eco-movements within Bolivia continue to exacerbate these struggles. Rather than take into account a modern version of indigeneity, CONAMAQ romanticizes collective living and Ayllu life style.
Questions to consider from this case study:
What strategies can international organizations use to engage indigenous activists without over romanticizing a past version of indigeneity?
Is CONAMAQ correct that there is no version of capitalism which solve climate change and create climate justice?
What place do non-indigenous people have in preserving indigeneity?