Ivan Sandoval-Cervantes
| Iván Sandoval (B.A. Anthropology, Universidad de las Americas-Puebla; M.Sc. Philosophy of Social Sciences, London School of Economics) is a graduate student in cultural anthropology at the University of Oregon. He is interested in the political economy of rural communities in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. His research focuses on the connections between Mexico’s land reform, migration and local agrarian conflicts in Oaxaca. Email: ivans@uoregon.edu |
Research on Land-grabbing:
The Political Economy of Agriculture and Land Conflict in a Transborder Oaxacan Community, Oaxaca, Mexico
In this project I seek to provide a detailed account on how transnational capital is reshaping the land politics of a Zapotec indigenous community in Oaxaca, Mexico. Oaxaca is a predominantly rural state in southern Mexico, characterized by land conflicts and a high rate of migration. Santa Ana Zegache, in the Zimatlán Valley, is not a stranger to these phenomena; its economy depends on remittances and non-industrialized agriculture, and land is still a central element in local political conflicts. Zegache’s inhabitants are divided between “ejidatarios” and “propietarios”, and this division informs the political struggles not only in Oaxaca but also in the immigrant community of Zegacheños living in Oregon, U.S. Here, I will explore how transnational capital reinforces the continuation of traditional subsistence agriculture while also promoting increased political conflict that is directly connected to local political and social relationships, and land ownership.
