Body-Territory
A key concept of ecofeminism that emerged in Ibero-America, coming from the struggles of indigenous communities and their resistance against three main forms of oppression that intertwine: patriarchy "Patriarchy (feminist theory)"), colonialism and extractivism/neo-extractivism. It is both a category of theoretical analysis and a practical method of resistance that links the body of women as a territory to be defended and the Earth as endowed with rights against its exploitation.
It comes from the analogy between women's bodies and the territory in which they exist. It is above all a historical concept. In fact, colonialism, that is, the physical, political, social and ideological conquest and exploitation of a territory, must involve the conquest of bodies, particularly female bodies. Exploitative treatments were imposed on women during the Spanish colonization of America, such as the commodification of women and girls, mass rape and mutilation of bodies.[35] The conquest of territory becomes exploitation of women's bodies, and women's bodies become territory to be defended.
The birth of the concept of Body-Territory within indigenous communities is no coincidence. These territories are systematically the target of extractivism and colonization. The women of these communities are impacted by their bodies, but they also use them to resist and fight. The concept is constructed and used in opposition to the construction of a hierarchical dichotomy between the body and nature, between the interior and the exterior, which would give supposed legitimacy to the exploitation of nature by bodies.[36].
Also, it is pertinent to mention the practice of “Mapping” of the body-territory, a physical representation through drawing of the body and the violence that it suffers and has suffered. Thus, the mapping of territorial conflicts is represented on the body to understand them from a corporeal and consequently subjective perspective. The researcher Delmy Tania Cruz Hernandez") develops a concrete example in her book,[37] telling the story of a survivor of the Acteal massacre, who, after this tragedy, drew a red cross over the heart of her mapping, and the rest of her body was left empty due to the trauma. The mapping thus becomes a form of resistance, specifying the repercussions of the exploitation of the territory on the bodies.[37].
However, the body-territory aims to reflect on the body and the territory in a continuum,[38] not as separate elements, but as two sides of the same coin.
In the 1980s, the emergence of community feminism was observed in Guatemala, led by Lorena Cabnal, with the aim of establishing a link between the territory, the body and the Earth.[39] Through the creation of the organization Amixmasaj in the Guatemalan mountains, Cabnal seeks to defend women from physical and sexual violence, as well as the exclusion they suffer, especially when the interests of territorial conquest and exploitation come into play.
This struggle takes on a particular connotation in the large mining exploitation areas "Mina (mining)"), where they face the violence suffered by women from neighboring communities by the men who come to work, as well as the contamination of their bodies, being the main affected by the pollution generated by these industrial activities.[39].
Currently, the concept is academically constructed by the doctor and feminist, anti-colonialist and environmentalist activist Delmy Tania Cruz Hernández") in her book Women, body and territories - between defense and dispossession. The Mexican researcher mainly develops the idea of a “repatriarchalization of territories”[41] caused by an increase in extractive activities in Latin America, dominated by men. In the state of Chiapas, Mexico, by For example, inequalities between men and women are increasing, since women do not have access to land ownership, which deprives them of their decision-making capacity in community assemblies, as well as their economic independence and food sovereignty.[41].
The fight of the EZLN in the state of Chiapas stands out for the defense of the territory and the communities with the objective of achieving the recognition of their autonomy. The resistance of the EZLN since its uprising in 1994 demonstrates the will to reappropriate bodies and territory, violated by colonization, patriarchy and extractivism. This struggle is inscribed in the bodies, which face acts of extreme violence in the context of paramilitarism in Chiapas, such as the 1997 Acteal massacre that was directed in particular against the bodies of Tzotzil women and girls.[42].
In Ecuador, the double struggle to protect the body and the territory was illustrated during the Amazonian women's march towards Quito in October 2013. This march was carried out with the objective of demanding "the continuity of the life of the native peoples", declaring their territory as "living jungle" and fighting against the expansion of oil exploitation.[43].
The women's body was revealed as an incarnation of the territory to be defended in the patriarchal public space. The identity and health of the group and the bodies are linked to the state of their environment. The exploitation of land resulting from extractivism and neo-extractivism causes a deterioration of this environment, through the contamination of land, air and water, and, consequently, of bodies, identity groups and the means of reproduction of life.[44] The exploitation of territories is violent towards individual and collective bodies. The struggle of these women was for the survival of their environment as well as that of their bodies.[45] However, the refusal of the president of the time, Rafael Correa, to receive or dialogue with this movement demonstrates the lack of recognition towards these female bodies in resistance.[43].
In Peru, the concept of body-territory has served as a central framework in the fight against the exploitation of natural resources with the violence exerted on bodies, especially women, indigenous people and peasants, who play fundamental roles in the preservation of community life. This perspective highlights the interrelation between the health of the earth and human dignity, reflecting a collective resistance against neoliberal extractivism, which perpetuates gender inequalities and ecological imbalances.[46].
Representative cases.
Below are the most notable cases of resistance linked to the territorial body in Peru:
- Conga and Cajamarca: In Cajamarca, the resistance to the Conga mining project was led by women like Máxima Acuña, a symbol of the fight against extractivism.[47] This case exemplifies the discourse of "My body, my territory", in which protecting the land is equivalent to defending the sovereignty of communities and the integrity of women.
- Defense in the Peruvian Amazon: In the Amazon, indigenous women have led protests against pollution caused by oil activities and illegal logging. Being an indigenous woman and defending the land (territory) is a fight in sacred unity, because they are defending their own spirituality and the ancestral connection with their environment.[48] In this way, the connection between environmental sustainability and preservation of cultural identity is highlighted, evidencing how attacks on the land directly impact bodies and communities.
In Brazil, resistance linked to the body-territory is led mainly by indigenous women and traditional communities that face the expansion of agribusiness, mining and deforestation in the Amazon. These struggles combine the defense of the environment with the demand for human and territorial rights.
Likewise, quilombola communities, descendants of enslaved Africans, also face forced displacement due to agribusiness. In regions like Maranhão, soy plantations have displaced numerous communities, generating an active struggle for the preservation of the body-territory and collective rights to land.[49].