Autonomy is in our hearts : Zapatista autonomous government through the lens of the Tsotsil language / Dylan Eldredge Fitzwater.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fitzwater, Dylan Eldredge, author.

Series:

Kairos (PM Press (Firm))

Kairos

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional (Mexico).

Indians of Mexico--Mexico--Chiapas--Government relations.

Indians of Mexico.

Mayas--Mexico--Chiapas--Government relations.

Mayas.

Chiapas (Mexico)--History--Peasant Uprising, 1994-.

Chiapas (Mexico).

Chiapas (Mexico)--Social conditions.

Chiapas (Mexico)--Politics and government.

Chiapas (Mexico)--Ethnic relations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (241 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Zapatista autonomous government through the lens of the Tsotsil language

Place of Publication:

Oakland, CA : PM Press, [2019]

Summary:

Following the Zapatista uprising on New Year's Day 1994, the EZLN communities of Chiapas began the slow process of creating a system of autonomous government that would bring their call for freedom, justice, and democracy from word to reality. Autonomy Is in Our Hearts analyses this long and arduous process on its own terms, using the conceptual language of Tsotsil, a Mayan language indigenous to the highland Zapatista communities of Chiapas. The words 'Freedom,' 'Justice,' and 'Democracy' emblazoned on the Zapatista flags are only approximations of the aspirations articulated in the six indigenous languages spoken by the Zapatista communities. They are rough translations of concepts such as ichbail ta muk' or 'mutual recognition and respect among equal persons or peoples,' a'mtel or 'collective work done for the good of a community' and lekil kuxlejal or 'the life that is good for everyone.' Autonomy Is in Our Hearts provides a fresh perspective on the Zapatistas and a deep engagement with the daily realities of Zapatista autonomous government. Simultaneously an exposition of Tsotsil philosophy and a detailed account of Zapatista governance structures, this book is an indispensable commentary on the Zapatista movement of today.

Contents:

Front Cover

Title Page

Half Title

Copyright

Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword by John P. Clark

Introduction

"This Is Our Work": The Escuelita and the Zapatista Experiences of Autonomous Government

The Study of Social Movements in Tsotsil: Pask'op

Part One

The History of Autonomous Government

chapter one

A Genealogy of Zapatista Political Aspirations: From the Dictatorship of the Proletariat to the Self-Determination of Peoples in Struggle

The Zapatista Form of Liberation

The Struggle for National Liberation

The Revolution Within the Revolution: Zapatista Women's Struggle

The Dangers of the EZLN's Military Hierarchy

Conclusion

Chapter Two

The Zapatista Clandestine Organization: The Creation of a Collective Heart (O'on) and Collective Potentiality (Ch'ulel)

The Tsotsil Understanding of Collective Heart (O'on) and Potentiality (Ch'ulel)

Clandestine Organizing: The Creation of the Collective Heart of the EZLN

Women's Participation in the Organization of the Collective Heart

Strengthening the Collective Heart of the Organization between Communities

Chapter Three

The Creation of the Caracoles: Relationships of Difference in the Collective Heart (Ko'ontik, Ko'onkutik)

The Double Sense of Collectivity in Tsotsil

Governing by Obeying: The Creation of the Autonomous Government

Part Two

The Practice of Autonomous Government

Chapter Four

"The Community Has the Final Say": The Assembly and the Collective Work of Governance (A'mtel)

A'mtel: Government as Work for Collective Survival

Creation and Recreation of a Collective Heart: The Assembly of the Zone

The Assembly of the Zone and the Creation of Trabajos Colectivos: An Example from La Realidad

Zapatista Justice

Chapter Five.

Decolonizing Work: Zapatista Collective Work (A'mtel) and the Struggle against Systems of Desperation-Dependence-Displacement (Kanal)

Cycles of Desperation-Dependence-Displacement: The Kanal of the Finca and Its Contemporary Reproduction

The Contradictions of NGO Aid

The A'mtel of the Trabajos Colectivos

The Progress of Trabajos Colectivos in the Five Caracoles and the Importance of Autonomous Cows

Inequality in the Development of Trabajos Colectivos and the Struggle of Caracol II Oventik

Chapter Six

Challenges in the Work of Collective Governance (A'mtel): Circumscribing Power, Creating Accountability, and Women's Participation

Elections through the Assembly and the Obligations of Zapatista Authorities

Preventing the Formation of Political and Economic Elites

The Government and Communities Are One and the Same: Rotation Systems in the Five Caracoles

Watching Over the Autonomous Governments: Accountability Structures in the Five Caracoles

The State of Women's Participation in Autonomous Government in the Five Caracoles

"How Can We Change if the Compañeros Don't Know How to Make Tortillas?" Barriers to Women's Participation in Autonomous Government

Epilogue

Another World Is Possible

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Authors.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781629635989

1629635987

OCLC:

1078991017