La participación de las mujeres zapatistas y el territorio desde el enfoque de ecología política feminista

Abstract

Zapatismo is a social movement on which there is an extensive literature, mainly focused on the gender issue. However, analyzes of the territory from the perspective of feminist political ecology are uncommon. Therefore, this research combined this approach and a qualitative methodology to meet the following objectives: (a) Describe the participation of Zapatista women in a Zapatista Autonomous Rebel Municipality (MAREZ), (b) Analyze their proposal for an ecologically viable livelihoods, (c) Investigate access to the territory and its control for women based on Zapatista autonomy. The outcomes suggest that there are advances, contradictions, and challenges in the participation of women. The Zapatistas build territories from rivers, gardens, acahuales, and mountains, whose access and control are influenced by gender roles and, therefore, women seek to transform. For instance, agroecological options achieved the ecologically viable livelihoods and have changed gender relationships in the study communities. In conclusion, the construction of the Zapatista territories is in dispute with other actors and has made it possible to promote the participation of women in this process.