Structural Violence Is Not Fate

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 5 illustrates and also moves beyond the idea of structural harm as culturally produced trauma that serves the goals of settler colonial white supremacy. Indigenous peoples living in what is now referred to as southern Mexico have long organized against colonial invasion and settlement in creative ways that interrupt the adaptability features of structural violence. Because Indigenous Zapatistas have developed dynamic cultural techniques for disrupting the structural invariance of social systems, it has become a main target of state and international agencies’ violent interventions. Zapatismo is thus not only an illustration of the indomitable refusal that is possible in the face of white dynastic formations, but a beacon for peoples everywhere cultivating cultural resistance in the fight for structural justice. Zapatista politics is a steady reminder of the varied self-defense strategies marginalized groups develop in response to the regional adaptive features of settler colonial social structures throughout the world.