Women's Voices from the Rainforest explores the position of the women whose families are tearing down the rainforest. These women of Central and Latin America have been largely invisible until now, but they are at last turning their voices into action.International development policy and its top-down culture must take much of the blame for environmental and social destruction of the rainforest. Presenting the contrasting results of different methodologies, a comprehensive literature review, and the voices of the rainforest women themselves, told in life histories, the authors argue for the adoption of "grassroots" strategies, not international solutions.
Author(s): Janet Townsend
Year: 1995
Language: English
Pages: 224
BOOK COVER......Page 1
HALF-TITLE......Page 2
TITLE......Page 4
COPYRIGHT......Page 5
CONTENTS......Page 6
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 7
WOMEN PIONEERS......Page 16
Women pioneers in this book......Page 17
WHO ARE WE, THE AUTHORS, THE OUTSIDERS?......Page 20
WHO ARE YOU, THE READERS? WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?......Page 22
Literature review......Page 23
Interviewing......Page 24
Life stories......Page 25
NOTE......Page 26
WHITE WOMEN PIONEERS IN COOLER LANDS......Page 28
Why land settlement?......Page 31
Success in land settlement?......Page 33
Criteria for ‘success’......Page 34
Sustainable livelihoods?......Page 35
Invisible women......Page 37
Less income......Page 38
Case-studies......Page 39
CONCLUSION......Page 42
COLONISATION IN COLOMBIA......Page 44
THE MAGDALENA MEDIO......Page 46
The Serrania de San Lucas......Page 47
El Distrito......Page 48
La Payoa......Page 49
So many men......Page 50
Housewifisation......Page 51
Title to land......Page 52
Access to income......Page 53
Women’s workload......Page 54
Domestic labour......Page 55
CONCLUSION......Page 56
THE LOWLANDS OF SOUTH-EAST MEXICO......Page 60
How representative?......Page 62
Methods......Page 63
Unexpected developments......Page 66
Why was this project possible?......Page 67
MEXICO AND COLOMBIA: PIONEERING FOR WOMEN......Page 68
FROM PIONEERING TO AGRARIAN CRISIS IN MEXICO......Page 69
Where we began: gardens and skills......Page 71
FOURTEEN COMMUNITIES IN FIVE STATES OF MEXICO......Page 72
Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz......Page 73
Palenque: the Lacandón rainforest, Chiapas......Page 76
Balancan: plans and deteriorating development in Tabasco......Page 78
Campeche: pioneers......Page 79
LOSING THE FOREST?......Page 83
CONCLUSIONS......Page 86
Why colonise?......Page 90
Hardships......Page 92
Pioneer work......Page 93
Education......Page 94
Girls’ domestic work......Page 96
Puberty......Page 97
Seclusion......Page 98
Physical violence......Page 100
Introduction......Page 102
Why be a woman?......Page 103
Advice to girls......Page 104
Advice to women......Page 106
Women alone......Page 108
On the land......Page 109
Off-farm work......Page 110
Public roles......Page 111
PARTNERS AND MARRIAGE......Page 112
Sex......Page 113
Childbirth......Page 114
Fertility......Page 115
Rape......Page 117
Drunkenness......Page 118
Control over money......Page 120
Violence......Page 121
Resistance......Page 123
Action against alcohol......Page 124
Evaluations of marriage......Page 125
Women talking......Page 126
WOMEN’S NEEDS......Page 127
Women’s groups......Page 129
CONCLUSION......Page 130
OUTSIDERS......Page 132
Outsiders and the Mexican case......Page 133
Action at the community level......Page 134
Action by women’s groups in the community......Page 135
Action by community workers......Page 136
Action by the private sector......Page 137
Action by the state: a view from below......Page 138
INSIDERS......Page 139
OUR CONCLUSIONS......Page 141
7 RE-PRESENTING VOICES......Page 146
8 CARMELA’S LIFE STORY......Page 154
NOTES......Page 163
9 ELENA’S LIFE STORY......Page 164
NOTES......Page 174
10 CLARA’S LIFE STORY......Page 176
NOTES......Page 187
11 GUADALUPE’S LIFE STORY......Page 188
NOTES......Page 199
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 200
INDEX......Page 212
