Transforming Indigenous Relations with Nature: Ecological Discourses, Eco-Tourism, and Gender in Mexico

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Indigenous communities are particularly affected by global discourses on environmental degradation and climate change. While they are seen as polluters with non-sustainable economies, they are also portrayed as particularly close or related to nature. These romanticised representations, however, are increasingly used by indigenous actors to advance their economies. This is the case in community based ecotourism projects, which are framed by globalised discourses on environmental degradation and environmental protection. This project investigates the social consequences of these processes in Oaxaca, Mexico, where the state supports community based ecotourism projects in indigenous communities both financially and logistically. This study scrutinises how creative appropriation and translation of ecological discourses impacts on perceptions of nature, and places particular emphasis on gender specific dimensions. By applying a gender informed perspective, this study generates new insights in nature based, cultural transformations processes in indigenous contexts and makes a substantial contribution to the theoretical analysis of discourse and practice systems, nature relations, tourism and concepts of appropriation.