The Human Geography of Resilience and Change: Land Rights and Political Stability in Latin American Indigenous Societies
Abstract
Major Goals: Since 2013 KU Professors Jerry Dobson and Peter Herlihy and a small group of graduate students from the University of Kansas have led Centroamrica Indgena, a massive effort including collaborations with indigenous and state governments, and NGOs, to understand indigenous societies in Central America. Funded by a prestigious Minerva Grant for University-led Research from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Army Research Office, they study the geographic factors that favor stability, instability, and resilience in indigenous municipalities throughout the seven countries of Central America. Most communities suffer similar stresses- social and political discrimination, land dispossession, extreme poverty, narco-trafficking, and violence. Yet, some communities are thriving, protecting lands, managing natural resources, and maintaining cultural identities while others are not. The project focuses on secure land ownership and territorial sovereignty as key variables to be tested. The investigators seek to advance the geographic and cartographic base of information essential for governance, to improve cartographic methods and techniques, and to forge new frameworks for societal interaction among indigenous communities, organizations, and individuals. In partnership with many local, national, and international organizations, the team has mapped over 10,000 km2 of the newly-established indigenous territorial jurisdictions that include the least known and most conflictive areas of Central America, producing an enormous and unprecedented Geographic Information System (GIS) database on the regions lands and peoples. Their success story should be of interest to anyone in the intelligence, foreign policy, and military strategy communities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 31, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1080627
Entities
People
- Jerome Dobson
- Peter H. Herlihy
Organizations
- University of Kansas