Journal of Latin American Geography 

About: Journal of Latin American Geography is an academic journal published by University of Texas Press. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Latin Americans & Politics. It has an ISSN identifier of 1545-2476. Over the lifetime, 611 publications have been published receiving 6334 citations. The journal is also known as: JLAG.

Mega-events and socio-spatial dynamics in Rio de Janeiro, 1919-2016

Abstract: This article examines the ways in which discourses of urban development and socio-spatial discipline are wrapped around infrastructure development projects associated with recent, future, and proposed international mega-events in Rio de Janeiro. In the past few years the city and state governments of Rio de Janeiro invested billions of dollars in sporting, tourist, transportation and security infrastructures for the 2007 Pan American Games and hundreds of millions of dollars preparing for the 2014 World Cup and bidding (twice) for the 2016 Olympics. By looking at the historical trajectory of mega-events in Rio de Janeiro, I argue that there has been a discernable shift in the ideologies that drive the production of mega-events in the city. These logics have discursively and materially shifted from more localized expressions of notions of social inclusion and industrial democracy in the mid-20th century to reflect the socio-spatial exigencies of capital in a period of accelerated globalization. I suggest that mega-events impose a neo-liberal "shock doctrine", installing temporary regimes of extra-legal governance that permanently transform socio-space in Rio de Janeiro. Sumario: Este artigo examina como discursos sobre desenvolvimento urbano e disciplina socio-espacial sao usados para promover projetos de infrastructura associados com os mega-eventos internacionais no Rio de Janeiro. Nos ultimos anos os governos da cidade e do estado do Rio de Janeiro investiram bilhoes de dolares em infrastruturas esportivas, turisticas, de transporte e de seguranca para os Jogos Panamericanos e centenas de milhoes dos dolares para a Copa do Mundo de 2014 e em duas tentativas de conseguir os Jogos Olimpicos. Ao analisar a trajetoria historica dos mega-eventos no Rio de Janeiro, eu mostro que as ideologias que dirigem a sua producao sofreram mudancas profundas. Elas se transformaram, discursivamente e materialmente, de nocoes de inclusao social e de democracia industrial no meio do seculo 20 para refletir as exigencias socio-spaciais do capital em um periodo de globalizacao acelerada. Ao final, eu sugiro que os mega-eventos imponem uma "doutrina choque" neo-liberal, que instala formas de governo extra-legal, transformando permanentemente o socio-espaco do Rio de Janeiro.

Ethnoecology of the Yucatec Maya: Symbolism, Knowledge and Management of Natural Resources

Abstract: There is a growing interest worldwide in adopting interdisciplinary approaches for studying the complex and dynamic interplay between societies and landscapes. During the last few years, ethnoecology, broadly defined as an integrative study of beliefs, knowledge and practice of a given social entity, has emerged as a useful research method for the comprehensive understanding of landscape use and management. Maya people have inhabited the Yucatan Peninsula for the last three thousand years, suggesting that Maya farmers have successfully managed natural resources, preserving both nature and culture in the long run. Despite research focusing on Yucatec Maya resource management, understanding of how pre-Hispanic Maya adapted to their heterogeneous and changing environment during the past is still limited. There are few studies that fully understand and explain how contemporary Maya farmers perceive, know, use and manage their landscapes as a whole. By applying the ethnoecological approach, this article reveals the inextricable links between beliefs, knowledge and management of natural resources among the Yucatec Maya. The paper concludes by discussing the highly resilient capacity of Yucatec Maya producers through examining two main mechanisms: their multiple-use strategy and their cross-scale concept of health. Existe un creciente interes a nivel mundial por adoptar enfoques interdisciplinarios en el estudio de las multifaceticas relaciones entre la sociedad y sus paisajes. La etnoecologia, definida en terminos generales como el estudio integral de creencias, conocimientos y practicas de una entidad social dada, ha surgido como un metodo cientifico util para el cabal entendimiento de la apropiacion humana de la naturaleza. El pueblo Maya ha habitado la Peninsula de Yucatan durante los ultimos 3 mil anos, lo cual sugiere que e l campesino Maya ha manejado sus recursos naturales de manera exitosa, preservando naturaleza y cultura a traves del tiempo. Sin embargo, existen pocos estudios dedicados a entender y explicar, de manera integrada, como el campesino Maya percibe, conoce, usa y maneja sus recursos naturales. Al aplicar el metodo etnoecologico, este articulo revela las inseparables relaciones que existen entre creencia, conocimiento y practica entre los Maya yucatecos actuales. El articulo finaliza discutiendo la alta capacidad de resiliencia mostrada por los Maya yucatecos a traves de dos mecanismos principales: la estrategia de uso multiple y su concepto multi-escalar de salud.

The Territorial Turn: Making Black Territories in Pacific Colombia

Abstract: Over the last decade, a wide range of global forces have combined to promote the territorial titling of collective lands to indigenous and black communities in the lowland tropics of Latin America. This marks an unprecedented turn in land titling and reform in the hemisphere. In this paper, I describe the territorial turn in collective land titling in the Pacific region of Colombia. In particular, I describe the World Bank-funded Natural Resource Management Program's effort to demarcate and title some 5 million hectares of national lands to black community councils in Pacific Colombia since 1996. In so doing, I examine how environmental, human rights, and multilateral lending interests have come together over the last few decades to strengthen ethnic rights to collective lands throughout the Latin American lowlands. Although it is too early to make definitive assessments, I argue that the machinations of the World Bank-funded project interacted in very complex and significant ways with how black social movements instituted a novel ethnic-territorial relationship. The project has widespread implications for black and indigenous territorial aspirations throughout the lowland tropics and for better understanding how identity and territory constitute one another.

Surviving the City: Urban Home Gardens and the Economy of Affection in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract: The Brazilian Amazon region is today an urban place, with 70% of its population residing in urban places. Economic development has lagged behind urbanization and new migrants continue to rely on self-provisioning, especially by growing food in urban home gardens, to meet their food needs. This study is a descriptive analysis of local urban livelihood emphasizing the importance of informal systems of production, exchange, and knowledge that contribute to survival in a medium-sized city, Santarem, Para, Brazil. A regiao Amazonica brasileira e contemporaneamente uma area urbanizada, com 70% de sua populacao residindo em lugares urbanizadas. Desenvolvimento economico tem sido defasado em relacao a urbanizacao e novos imigrantes continuam a extrair seu sustento, especialmente de cultivos desenvolvidos em quintais urbanos, como forma de garantir o atendimento de suas necessidades alimentares. Nosso estudo e um analise descritivo das condicoes da vida local, enfatizando a importância dos sistemas informais de producao, doacao e conhecimento que contribui para a sobrevivencia numa cidade de tamanho medio da regiao, Santarem, Para, Brasil.

The Geography of Border Militarization: Violence, Death and Health in Mexico and the United States

Abstract: Despite proposed increases in spending on personnel and equipment for border enforcement, the complex geography of border militarization and the violence it produces require further examination. We take a geographical perspective to determine the role of violence in both its official forms, such as the incarceration and punishments experienced by undocumented migrants, as well as through abuses and violence perpetrated by agents in shaping border and immigration enforcement. By drawing on the Migrant Border Crossing Study (MBCS), which is a unique data source based on 1,110 surveys of a random sample of deportees, as well as research with family members and return migrants in Puebla, Mexico, we provide an innovative and robust account of the geography of violence and migration. Identifying regional variation allows us to see the priorities and strategic use of violence in certain areas as part of enforcement practice. We assert that understanding the role of violence allows us to explain the prevalence of various forms of abuse, as well as the role of abuse in border enforcement strategies, not as a side effect, but as elemental to the current militarized strategies. Resumen: A pesar de las propuestas para aumentar los gastos en agentes y equipo para la seguridad fronteriza, la geografia compleja de la militarizacion de la frontera y la violencia que produce son muy pocos entendidos. Tomamos una perspectiva geografica para entender el papel de la violencia tanto en sus formas oficiales como el encarcelamiento y castigos para migrantes, que los no-oficiales, tales como los abusos y la violencia perpetrada por agentes. Por medio de los datos del Estudio de Migrantes y el Cruce Fronterizo (MBCS por sus siglas en ingles), basado en mas que 1,100 encuestas con un muestreo aleatorio de deportados con un equipo binacional en cinco ciudades fronterizos y la Ciudad de Mexico y una investigacion con familiares y migrantes que han devuelto a Puebla. proporcionamos una explicacion sobre la geografia de violencia y migracion. Las diferencias regionales demuestran las prioridades y el uso estrategico de la violencia en ciertas zonas fronterizas. Afirmamos que el entendimiento del papel de la violencia nos permite explicar la prevalencia de varias formas de abuso en las estrategias de control fronteriza. La violencia no es un efecto secundario sino un aspecto central de las practicas fronterizas militarizadas.