Experiences of Community-Based Organizing in Guatemala: Producing Knowledge, Practices and Territories

Abstract

This article analyzes over a decade of expressions of indigenous communities’ collective actions for the defense of their
territory in the region of northern Quiché, in the highlands of Guatemala. To characterize these collective actions, I highlight
the notions they use to confront and antagonize the extractivist policies that aim to commodify their natural resources and
reconfigure their territories. Based on the conceptualization of the idea of “difference”, I also emphasize the importance of
recognizing the affirmative character of these organizational processes, which is reflected in the production of knowledge,
meanings and practices. I analyze how the ontological dimension and its reproduction in linguistic frameworks nurtures
the attempts to amplify margins of resistance and influence the socio-natural determination of their territories. Their
actions become visible through the promotion of their own processes of deliberation and consultation, as well as their
development of proposals based on the implementation of community-based hydroelectric projects. This article is based
on empirical information collected through interviews with experts and community members of the Quiché region, as
well as participant observation in the area. Accordingly, I argue for a long term methodological and theoretical approach. I
conclude by emphasizing the importance of local processes of knowledge production, which are key to a more sustainable
reproduction and to the very future of these communities.