Towards Afro-Indigenous ecopolitics

Abstract

Costa Chica is home to the largest Afromexican population in Mexico most of whom are of Afro-Indigenous descent. In 2019, Afromexicans gained official state recognition as collective ethnic minority subjects which opens up new political potentialities for organising strategies. This article examines the development of Afro-Indigenous politics in response to the ecological devastation that Costa Chica of Guerrero is experiencing as a consequence of climate change. I contextualise this research project in my personal experiences researching family histories and coming into a sense of Afro-Indigenous subjectivity. A brief overview of the historical human-nature relations influenced by slavery and colonialism helps to contextualise the socio-political and ecological situation in the region. Finally, I draw from my ethnographic work to suggest various ways in which Afro-Indigenous organisers can mobilise the new political category to address environmental concerns. In the conclusion, I return to my own personal experiences with trying to understand Afro-Indigenous politics arguing that while connections need to be made with other geographic experiences of Blackness, Indigeneity, and Afro-Indigeneity, one must stay attuned to the geographic particularities that shape subjectivity.

Keywords:

• Costa Chica
• Afro-Indigenous
• Afromexicans
• environmental racism
• coastal development
• ecopolitics
• climate change

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ulises Moreno-Tabarez

Ulises Moreno-Tabarez is Post-Doctoral Associate in the Department Geography & Environment at the London School of Economics and City's Social Media Editor. Email: [email protected]