Indigenous Mobilizations of the 21st Century and Tactical Choice in Ecuador

The study of social movements has been a prominent topic of focus in the social sciences for a century, so much so that social movement theory arose as its own interdisciplinary study. A major facet of social movements and specific instances of mobilization is tactical repertoires/decision-making. Tactical choice does not exist in a vacuum; protestors do not suddenly decide to occupy government buildings or organize marches indiscriminately. The puzzle of why certain tactics are utilized at certain times is complex, and in order to fully understand the underlying implications of tactical choice we must incorporate/recognize the importance of resources/opportunities, socio-political structures, grievances, targets, collective identity, etc. While all movements face drivers and dilemmas of tactical choice, Indigenous movements have added factors based on their contexts and conditions. The purpose of this research is; to analyze tactical repertoires adopted by Indigenous resistance movements in Ecuador from 2000-2017 and investigate why tactical repertoires vary at different points in time. The goal is to understand what accounts for the adoption of different tactics; what contexts and circumstances lead to the adoption of certain tactics over others or certain specific repertoires and tactical combinations As my main question of inquiry focuses on tactics as the main point of analysis, my method for surveying what tactics were used during specific time periods was to utilize primary news sources and press releases that reported on current events in Ecuador over time. Tactical repertoires were then analyzed using models and theories developed by social movement theorists, focusing on identifying factors that affect tactical decision-making. With a cross-period analysis, I am also able to compare and contrast how factors/conditions have changed and remained the same and what impact this has on tactical choice. Examples include how changes in political regimes, economic systems, and state power affect tactical repertoires that Indigenous mobilizations utilize. Each case examines the ways in which Indigenous communities resist the violation of their livelihoods and reaffirm their cultural identity during three time periods; Pre-Correa (2000-2006), Early Correa (2006-2011), and Late Correa (2011-2017). With this research, we hope to learn more about what factors influence Indigenous mobilization and the specific impacts they have on tactical choice, especially the role of political opportunity structures and public perceptions of targets. Using the progression of Indigenous resistance over the three time periods within 2000-2017, two major observations become clear regarding tactical choice. Specifically, decisions regarding what tactics to utilize and more generally what tactics are available are heavily impacted by the (1) political opportunity structure Indigenous movements are mobilizing within and (2) the public opinion or perception of the targets of Indigenous grievances