Tanya Casas

Among indigenous movements in South America, Ecuador’s indigenous peoples’ activism has been recognized for its historical impact on Ecuadorian politics, especially in the decade following a massive uprising in 1990. Despite a weakening of indigenous movements in Ecuador in the early 21st century, they nevertheless played a pivotal role in the writing and approval of a new constitution passed under the administration of Rafael Correa in 2008 which recognized nature as an entity with rights while also referencing throughout the document the Kichwa concept and project of sumak kawsay or “good living” for all natural systems. The constitutional recognition of the rights of nature has, in particular, been touted by environmentalists and many indigenous groups as a progressive step towards ensuring the protection of fragile ecosystems and threatened species. At the same time, the concept of sumak kawsay has sometimes been used to counter rights claims made on behalf of living systems. During this presentation, I will discuss possible interpretations of these developments within a context of an expansion of the state and market, including illicit markets. I will also critically evaluate the ways in which various actors have utilized rights of nature and sumak kawsay to advance particular political and economic objectives that are sometimes misaligned. Finally, I will discuss the impact the recent surge in violence in Ecuador is having on indigenous communities and what this might mean on the environmental justice front.

Tanya Casas is currently the dean of the school of business, arts and sciences and associate professor of sociology at Delaware Valley University. In 1995, she earned a B.A. in international relations with an emphasis on Latin America and environmental studies from Johns Hopkins University. As an undergraduate, she spent a year of study in Ecuador at the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, where she became interested in the impacts of indigenous movements throughout this Andean country. She later joined Cornell University where she completed her M.S. (1999) and Ph.D. (2006) in development sociology using an ethnographic approach to her research on indigenous movements, particularly as they contributed to a reframing of state structures and systems.

Wydarzenie można zaliczyć w ramach programu OSA:

• Opiekun: dr Anna Wyrwisz
• Liczba godzin OSA: 2 godziny
• Forma zaliczenia: sporządzenie krótkiej notatki w języku angielskim lub polskim (max. 500-600 znaków), dotyczącej tematyki poruszanej podczas wykładu i przesłanie jej dr Annie Wyrwisz do 29.05.2024. Notatki wysłane po tym terminie nie będą przyjmowane.