In order to explore the connections between the readings and the disappearance of Santiago Maldonado I first want to establish my perspective. For this particular assignment, I will be working primarily from an understanding of colonialism as the pursuit of economic control, which in the process gives way to subsequent systems of division and oppression (e.g. race, gender, sexuality, ability, etc), in order to secure a position of political power necessary to carry out plans of subjugation of domination with the ultimate goal of profit. This is important because I am going to suggest that the enduring conflict between indigenous peoples and transnational oligarchies, often seen through solely a race based lens, is a reiteration of the struggle for sovereignty which began with the invasion of Europeans who were in search of gold, silver, and most importantly, land. From the beginning Europeans were in search of “uninhabited” and “unregulated” land, land that I argue was exploited in order to produce commodities that would establish an economic system that privileged the colonizers. The foundational architecture of contemporary capitalism is the valuing of an unregulated free market. Capitalism, under the new frame of neoliberalism, continues to adapt and flourish because of lack of intervention, which was strategically set up when Europeans colonized the Americas and replaced existing power structures, both social and political.
In establishing that the government operates, as a social and political power structure, in favor of capitalism we can look towards why governments, globally, attack indigenous communities. Indigenous cultures, values, practices, and ways of being have always inherently opposed capitalism. The Rosa María Duro Montealegre reading states “El impacto de la globalización es más fuerte sobre estas poblaciones, debido a los efectos múltiples que este nuevo régimen transnacional tiene sobre sus territorios y que amenazan su existencia,” (13). The most visible threat was apparent by the physical displacement of original peoples since the “uninhabited” land that Europeans were after was not, as they had assumed, empty. Secondly, where capitalism values people and planet in terms of monetary profit, indigenous values uphold the land and its people as more than disposable things. That is because, as we have talked about in class, a European and Westernized conception of the self allows for the false separation between people and nature when in reality everything is connected. This separation is needed to justify the exploitation of people and resources.
Where we are, and where we are headed, as a planet is not and should not be seen as the natural course. That is to say, that the destruction of the earth and its resources and the millions of deaths caused along the way are not inevitable. I believe strongly that the earth has all that we need and was always equipped to provide for its inhabitants. That is, with reciprocal care and attention. When indigenous communities articulate this vision, they are immediately silenced and met with opposition from governments. Indigenous communities and activists have been criminalized for their efforts to shift the global consciousness. An example of this is Santiago Maldonado and RAM. As I understood it, Resistencia Ancestral Mapuche is seeking spatial autonomy for the Mapuche nation, guided by the vision of self-determination and autonomy, a concept introduced in the readingLa defensa del territorio y la autonomía, la recuperación de la memoria indígena, la reafirmación de la identidad, la reconstitución de sus autoridades y la reafirmación de la autoestima y la reconstitución como pueblos son la guía, Para las cosmovisiones indígenas, cuya característica más prominente es la integralidad del cosmo-ser la lucha por la autodeterminación sigue siendo fundamental en el moldeamiento de sus requerimientos ante instancias nacionales y supranacionales.
“los pueblos originarios han configurado nuevas formas de resistencia y organización para defender su territorio ancestral” (13) . Some groups have taken to negotiation or compromise avoiding direct conflict, while others have employed more explicit, perhaps violent, tactics to get their voices heard. Though the government inflicts violence, in many ways (physical, environmental, psychological, etc), this is justified through mass media and public perception depicting counter activists and “dangerous”. Which is true, they are dangerous but not in the traditional sense – they are dangerous to the current social order. Applicable to this discussion, and in support of “militant” indigenous rights activists, I ask how do you “win” a game against an opponent who has forced you to play, and not only set the rules but also controls the pieces and has the power to change the parameters of the game to benefit themselves at any time? Stokely Carmichael, a Black Power activist, stated that “in order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none”. I add, capitalism has none since the core values of capitalism propose a need for endless growth at the expense of those who wield the least political power.
Western imperialism has given rise to the installment of militarized police forces and governments globally that suppress the masses in order to maintain this economic and political order. One can be labeled a terrorist if you oppose capitalist exploitation or threaten the transnational social order. Examples of this include the numerous USA CIA supported coups in Latin and Central American coups or the disappearance of the 43 students in Ayotzinapa, Mexico and now the detainment and forced disappearance of Facundo Jones Huala and Santiago Maldonado. But why have governments taken measures to quell social uprising? Why does the government take extreme measures to hide its involvement in these altercations? Why was Santiago Maldonando seen as a threat, if he is only one person? Because it is not just about one person, or one president, or a group of students. The government recognizes the power the masses hold – the power that a counter ideology has. Just look at how Santiago’s forced disappearance prompted a response from more than 300,000 people across the country of Argentina.
Entendiendo el autodesarrollo como el compromiso colectivo de la comunidad y “como la capacidad que tiene cada pueblo indígena para decidir y controlar su propio destino de una manera autónoma y en consonancia con sus especificidades históricas y culturales” (Gamboa, s.f.) How can we, globally, live separately but in harmony with each other and nature?
I recognize the limits of this examination, and believe it is barely the start of engaging with an already existing conversation on these topics. In conclusion, environmental injustice, indigenous rights, and military operations of the government, must be hypothesized holistically and contextualized as interconnected through history as legacies of the economic pursuits of colonialism. Truly, the collective vision and work should remain committed to people and planet over profit.