Agrarian Insecurity, Identities and Conflicts in a Peasant Territory Nestled in a Natural Protected Area: The Case of Los Laureles, Chiapas

Abstract

People dwelling without agrarian rights in spaces recently declared Biosphere Reserves face internal and external conflicts and challenges that affect their identities and reinforce their condition as “irregulars”. At Los Laureles, rural families continuously redefine their multidimensional identities in an effort to justify their permanence and ensure a livelihood. This research objective is to analyze such identities; for this purpose, we used diachronic tour, detailed life histories, and in-depth interviews. Results show that most interviewees have forged multidimensional identities to deal with daily insecurity (i.e. they see themselves simultaneously as orphans, peons, farmers, poor, and guardians of nature in reserves). Although limited to one case study, it explores consequences of irregularity, a common agrarian condition in reserves. Its originality lies in highlighting life histories and identities that reinforce irregularity itself. Conclusions lead to think that Los Laureles dwellers mainly perceive themselves as poor-alienated and thus reduce their agency and their capacity to collaborate internally in order to overcome irregularity and its consequences.