Structural violence and the role of the State: Notes on extractive forestry and indigenous territories in Northern Mexico

Abstract

The present paper aims to deepen the analysis of structural environmental violence dynamics that affect indigenous territories in northern Mexico. The argument I put forward is that the role of the state is crucial in perpetuating the structural violence that surrounds a socio-environmental conflict in the Tarahumara mountain range, an area with a large indigenous population and abundant natural resources. In particular, the conflict over the control of a forest area and its resources fought by the indigenous community of Repechique is analysed to illustrate the multiple dimensions involved namely environmental, governance, and the administration of justice that threatens the life of indigenous peoples and their territories.