Social Movements Against Internal Colonialism from Wind Energy Investments in Mexico

Mexico’s neoliberal development policies have facilitated private investments in wind energy projects. How do wind energy development investments contribute to a more inclusive society and the well-being of indigenous people? This paper employs internal colonialism and social movement theories and research to investigate the Zapotecas and Ikoojts indigenous people’s mobilization against wind energy development investments in Oaxaca, Mexico. Based on a qualitative longitudinal study developed between 2013 and 2017, the findings reveal that the Zapotecas and Ikoojts’ mobilizations mirrors anti- extractive industry movement frames, such as lack of consultation, exclusion, improper application of the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) principle, negative impacts on the environment, sacred sites, and human rights. However, the Zapotecas and Ikoojts strategically interweave anti-neoliberalism frames into their social movements. A strategy to make their struggle salient for the impacts of internal colonialism that evolves from wind energy neoliberal investment in their communities. Zapotecas and Ikoojts voice an apparent contradiction in their social movement: uneven regional development and a lack of participation as economic partners in wind energy investments. This apparent contradiction is discussed based on the history embedded in the Zapotecas and Ikoojts’ social mobilizations against foreign and local invasions. Their anti- neoliberal frames mirror the mobilization of people in developed countries, specifically white men, and the less educated, who feel left behind in the march for neoliberalism.