Home Institution
Smith College
Publication Date
Spring 2020
Abstract
In roughly the last 50 years, the Ecuadorian Amazon has become the epicenter of petroleum production in Ecuador. As oil companies attempt to exploit more and more of the rainforest, they have encroached on indigenous lands, leading to violations of indigenous rights through environmental destruction. As their territories have been invaded, indigenous groups throughout the Amazon have formed movements large and small in resistance to petroleum activities. Scholars have studied select campaigns in the past, but the literature lacks a comparative review of the characteristics of those movements. This paper compiles histories of seven campaigns against petroleum in the Ecuadorian Amazon and compares them, focusing on analyzing the tactics groups used and the level of success they found. Results are inconclusive but uncover anecdotal similarities between Ecuadorian movements and those in other countries and open possibilities for future, more definitive research in this field.
Durante los últimos 50 años, la Amazonía ecuatoriana se ha convertido en el epicentro de la producción de petróleo en el país. A medida que las empresas petroleras continúan explotando más y más la selva, han invadido territorios indígenas, dando lugar a violaciones de derechos tras destrucción del medio ambiente. A medida que sus territorios han sido invadidos, grupos indígenas de la selva han formado movimientos grandes y pequeños en resistencia a las actividades petroleras. Algunos académicos han realizado estudios sobre estos movimientos, pero la literatura carece de un resumen comparativo de las características de esos movimientos. Este ensayo recopila las historias de siete campañas contra el petróleo en la Amazonía ecuatoriana y las compara, enfocando en analizar las tácticas que usaron los grupos y el nivel de éxito que tuvieron. Los resultados no son concluyentes pero ellos descubren similitudes anecdóticas entre los movimientos ecuatorianos y los de otros países y abren posibilidades para estudios futuros y más definitivos en este área.
Disciplines
Environmental Health and Protection | Environmental Policy | Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law | Indigenous Studies | Latin American Languages and Societies | Latin American Studies | Oil, Gas, and Energy | Place and Environment | Politics and Social Change | Social Justice
Recommended Citation
Carlson, Ella V. H., "Indigenous Communities Versus Oil Companies: Identifying Trends in Tactics and Success of Indigenous-Led Anti-Petroleum Movements in the Ecuadorian Amazon" (2020). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 3322.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3322
Included in
Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Latin American Languages and Societies Commons, Latin American Studies Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Social Justice Commons
Program Name
Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation