Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry

Forestry decision-making is still largely centralised in Guatemala. Nevertheless, elected municipal governments can now play a key role in local forest management. These local governments, with some exceptions, are the principal local institutions empowered to participate in natural resource authori...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Larson, A.M.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2008
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20042
_version_ 1855534590423203840
author Larson, A.M.
author_browse Larson, A.M.
author_facet Larson, A.M.
author_sort Larson, A.M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Forestry decision-making is still largely centralised in Guatemala. Nevertheless, elected municipal governments can now play a key role in local forest management. These local governments, with some exceptions, are the principal local institutions empowered to participate in natural resource authority. Some theorists argue that such elected local officials are the most likely to be representative and downwardly accountable. But do these political institutions have the ability to represent the interests of minority and historically excluded or oppressed groups? Latin American indigenous movements are fighting for new conceptions of democracy and practices of representation that recognise collective rights and respect for customary law and authority. How does this approach weigh against elected local government? This article compares how elected municipal governments versus traditional indigenous authorities represent the interests of indigenous communities in forest management. It traces the historical context of relations between indigenous people and the state in the region, and then presents the findings from case studies in two Guatemalan municipalities. The article finds that both authorities have some strengths as well as important weaknesses, thus supporting arguments for the reinvention of both liberal democracy and tradition in the interest of inclusive citizenship
format Journal Article
id CGSpace20042
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2008
publishDateRange 2008
publishDateSort 2008
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace200422025-01-24T14:20:15Z Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry Larson, A.M. classification forestry local people local authority areas democracy forest management Forestry decision-making is still largely centralised in Guatemala. Nevertheless, elected municipal governments can now play a key role in local forest management. These local governments, with some exceptions, are the principal local institutions empowered to participate in natural resource authority. Some theorists argue that such elected local officials are the most likely to be representative and downwardly accountable. But do these political institutions have the ability to represent the interests of minority and historically excluded or oppressed groups? Latin American indigenous movements are fighting for new conceptions of democracy and practices of representation that recognise collective rights and respect for customary law and authority. How does this approach weigh against elected local government? This article compares how elected municipal governments versus traditional indigenous authorities represent the interests of indigenous communities in forest management. It traces the historical context of relations between indigenous people and the state in the region, and then presents the findings from case studies in two Guatemalan municipalities. The article finds that both authorities have some strengths as well as important weaknesses, thus supporting arguments for the reinvention of both liberal democracy and tradition in the interest of inclusive citizenship 2008 2012-06-04T09:12:59Z 2012-06-04T09:12:59Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20042 en Larson, A.M. 2008. Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry . Conservation and Society 6 (1) :35–48. ISSN: 0972-4923.
spellingShingle classification
forestry
local people
local authority areas
democracy
forest management
Larson, A.M.
Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry
title Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry
title_full Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry
title_fullStr Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry
title_full_unstemmed Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry
title_short Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry
title_sort indigenous peoples representation and citizenship in guatemalan forestry
topic classification
forestry
local people
local authority areas
democracy
forest management
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20042
work_keys_str_mv AT larsonam indigenouspeoplesrepresentationandcitizenshipinguatemalanforestry