Infrastructure megaprojects as world erasers: cultural survival in the context of the interoceanic corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec

Hofmann, Susanne (2023) Infrastructure megaprojects as world erasers: cultural survival in the context of the interoceanic corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Latin American Perspectives. ISSN 0094-582X (Submitted)

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Abstract

This article explores the meaning of infrastructural changes resulting from the Corredor Interoceánico del Istmo de Tehuantepec (CIIT) infrastructure project for the cultural survival of Indigenous peoples resident in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region through the lens of ontological justice. The CIIT is being promoted as a multimodal road and rail transport corridor that will link the Gulf of Mexico with the Pacific Ocean, speed up global trade and benefit local residents. Based on interviews with affected residents in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz, this research found that there is a strong desire for the continuity of existing, collective life projects, Indigenous languages, cultural identities, beliefs, spirituality, established political and legal systems, and solidarity economy. De facto, the CIIT infrastructure project functions as a technology of erasure of other lifeworlds, imposing integration into the One-World World (Escobar, 2016) and assimilation of Indigenous peoples and Afrodescendant communities. Contemporary legal frameworks are not sufficient to guarantee alterlivability (Hamraie, 2020). Therefore, infrastructural megaprojects based on modern/colonial-extractivist-developmentalist premises continue to threaten the futurity of Indigenous and Afrodescendant life projects.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2023 The Author
Divisions:	IGA: Latin America and Caribbean Centre
Subjects:	H Social Sciences J Political Science H Social Sciences > HE Transportation and Communications
Date Deposited:	19 Sep 2023 10:51
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2023 11:09
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/120254

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