Kichwa women of the ecuadorian amazon: globalization, ecological crisis, and resistance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-2095Keywords:
Capitalist globalization, extractivism, Kichwa women, Amazon, mining, biotrade, resistance, biodiversityAbstract
Introduction: Over 25 years of neoliberalism in Ecuador, Amazonian Kichwa women have undergone profound transformations driven by neoliberal globalization, extractivism, and a weak state presence. These changes have affected their relationship with the forest, production in the chakra, commercialization, participation in extractive activities, and community organization. Struggles for the reproduction of life persist. Methodology: This study adopts an interdisciplinary methodological approach that combines qualitative research and participatory action, integrating scientific and community knowledge. Results: Neoliberal globalization has reconfigured the territories and dynamics of Amazonian Kichwa women, inserting them into extractive, agroindustrial, and migratory processes. In response, they have generated strategic actions based on ancestral knowledge, biotrade, and collective organization to sustain life and biodiversity. However, many turn to ancestral mining under precarious conditions, assuming the reproduction of life amidst state abandonment. Discussion: Their participation reaffirms life, identity, and autonomy, although they face precariousness, lack of recognition, and limited state support. Conclusions: They resist through productive experiences, cultural resistance, and defense of the rainforest—promoting an Amazonian integration into globalization while remaining externalized from it.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Alba Aguinaga Barragán, Diana Astudillo Bravo, Jessica Medina Arias, Amr Radwan
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