Neoliberalism, Land Development and Indigenous Autonomy: Looking into Oaxacan Resistance against the Interoceanic Corridor of Tehuantepec

Limited research exists exploring the implications that large state sponsored projects have on the integration of previously isolated communities into the global market. State supported projects have largely been portrayed as a tool to uplift previously neglected communities. Reporting on these projects have largely been sponsored by Mexico, which includes economic data that illustrate higher rates of material wealth and employment for the communities involved. On the other hand, NGOs often focus on human rights challenges such as accessibility to resources and property right violations, with many more covering concerns over environmental impacts and biodiversity loss associated with infrastructure expansions. 

Indigenous resistance movements have emerged against such projects. This paper studies such movements in Oaxaca, Mexico using first-hand indigenous lenses which are used to describe the ways in which outside factors presented by changing landscapes, both legal and physical, have resulted in resistance towards state-led development. I use process tracing for this project and use historical records of changing laws surrounding Indigenous rights and concessions made by the state. I also use records on changes in Ejidal (communal) land use from 1980s-Present, revolving around communities across the southern part of Mexico. 

This paper describes the three main tenants that overlap in the general studies of Indigenous perspectives relating to land and biocultural diversity. I will establish the factors that unite land use and ownership to a sense of Identity, and how economic development may be construed through these lenses as a threat to Indigenous social structures and identity.