Globalization, local movement and transnational networks

Beth Ann Williford, Purdue University

Abstract

This dissertation examines the activism of the Amazonian indigenous peoples in Ecuador who have resisted neoliberal state policies that have spurred the destruction of their culture and homelands through the process of oil extraction. Their messages of resistance have diffused through borders and facilitated the creation of links with transnational organizations in the U.S. that are linked to this Ecuadorian movement. This research examines both the local level and the transnational level of activism. Transnationally, the indigenous have formed ties with organizations based in the US that work to raise global awareness about the plight of the Ecuadorian indigenous. This research asks: How are the indigenous peoples in Ecuador’s Amazon organized? How have the indigenous peoples’ organizations framed resistances at the local level and why do the frames resonate locally? Further, what frames have been deployed at the transnational level by US based organizations and why do they resonate globally? Using a two-sited research design, qualitative data was collected from 44 semi-structured interviews and organizational documents, and participation observation. Observing and working closely with six Amazonian organizations and three US-based organizations, forty-four interviews were conducted Forty-four interviews were conducted The two sites are in Ecuador and the U.S. Such a research design facilitated the exploration of transnational connections between movement/movement organizations across sites and from both ends; rather than the usually presented view that is from the Global North alone, an approach that often overlooks the power relations involved in the North-South dynamic. This research indicates that local level indigenous peoples have adopted organizational structures that can be classified as hybrid in form. Frames deployed at the local level are culturally relevant for community members. They use conceptual understandings of indigenous livelihood, synergy with community and the environment to explain and mobilize local communities. Frames adopted at the transnational level by the US-based groups used universal norms of environmental conservation and human rights to explain injustices and mobilize their supporters. These frames resonate transnationally with the intended audience because they employ universal norms. The project contributes to our understanding of transnational movements. The research on localized indigenous resistance and the connections it has with transnational organizations adds to the theoretical understanding of localized resistances within the global antiglobalization movement and mechanisms involved in the diffusion of frames across the local and transnational. This provides a ‘bottom-up’ perspective of transnational linkages in the social movement literature. Research on resistances and collective action of marginalized groups in the developing world, such as the indigenous in the Amazonian region, are often considered peripheral to discussions in the discipline in the global north. Considering broader impacts, this study enables us to reconsider our conceptualizations of resistances that may be embedded in specific contexts but yet may have a bearing on our theoretical understandings of organizing movements. The outcomes from this study will also raise public awareness about indigenous peoples and their movements to challenge injustices.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Subramaniam, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Social structure|Organizational behavior

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