The Empowering Effects of Cooperative Development Among Indigenous Women in Southern Mexico

Abstract The Zapatista uprising, rebellion, and ongoing attempts to create a new way of life inside Mexico is unique. While Zapatistas have purposely isolated themselves from the Mexican government, they are not isolated from surrounding communities. Zapatista influences can be seen in the practices and organization of cooperatives and in the altered role of indigenous women in the surrounding communities. This study focuses on four cooperatives: one located in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, and the others in rural surrounding areas. The selected collectives produce traditional artisan work, basic food staples, natural personal care products, and herbal medicines. Using a snowball sampling technique, the investigator identified prospective interview participants. Nineteen women participated in 1-2 hour formal interviews, four individually and the others in small group settings; all formal interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Participants ranged in age from early 20s to early 50s; the majority self-identified as Tzotzil and Tzeltal, which represent approximately 71% of the indigenous population in Chiapas. Of the four cooperatives represented, two had direct working relationships with Zapatista cooperatives, and all had practices modeled on the Zapatista movement. Based on a phenomenological analysis of the transcripts, this paper argues that while the cooperatives were developed in response to forced internal displacement and extreme poverty, they were sustained because they provided a new kind of partnership, influenced by the Zapatista Movement, for the women to participate in the support and survival of their families. These findings suggest the potential of cooperatives as a cost-effective tool of development to promote gender role equality worldwide as well as provide recognition that this complex study and novel findings were only possible through a multidisciplinary and transnational academic and community partnership, integrating social work, women’s studies, and geography