Gold mining in Guatemala: community health and resistance amidst violence

Background: The Canadian mining industry has been linked to reports of environmental degradation, social insecurity and human rights violations. Due to a historical context of colonialism, genocide and state neglect, Indigenous populations may be particularly vulnerable to large-scale mining health threats. Research Purpose: The overarching purpose of this investigation was to understand the influence of mining operations on the wellbeing of a Mam Mayan community in the Western highlands of Guatemala. Specifically, this study examined: (1) the political context in which mining operations are situated; (2) community mental health experiences; and (3) the role of resistance in shaping these political and health contexts. Methodology: Indigenous knowledges and a critical paradigmatic lens informed the research design, an anti-colonial narrative analysis, employing participatory action research (PAR) principles. Data collection was determined in collaboration with participants and included focus group interviews, photo-voice and one-on-one interviews. A total of 54 men and women from 14 villages in the municipality participated in the research. Findings: Macro-level findings revealed that community health challenges were embedded in intersecting, socio-politically complex landscapes. These conditions largely informed how local residents experienced the socio-cultural and economic changes occasioned by local mining operations. At the meso-level, community health experiences were reflected in an overarching narrative of social unraveling, characterized by a climate of fear and discord, and; embodied expressions of distress. In response to these threats, community acts of resistance revealed unique health strengths enacted through: a shared cultural identity; spiritual knowing and being; defending our rights, defending our territory; and speaking truth to power. Discussion and Conclusion: Community health experiences were embedded in systemic and intersecting macro-level forces of oppression and inequity. At the meso-level, an overarching narrative of social unraveling revealed an intricate mesh of interconnected community health threats. Residents attributed increased militarization, conflict and violence to the presence of local mining operations. Embodied expressions of distress were described as complex, severe and debilitating conditions of suffering. These findings suggest important implications for nursing and health policy and scholarship. Keywords: Indigenous health; community health; Guatemala; mining; intersecting; social unraveling; violence; distress; embodied; conflic

Towards an inclusive pedagogy to confront interlocking oppressions in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala

Although 1994 to 2004 was declared the International Decade of Indigenous People, and the deepening of inequalities in Guatemala between indigenous and Ladinos (mixture of Mayan and Spaniards) got national and international attention, their situation did not improve. However, social inequalities in Guatemala are not just based on ethnicity, since the United Nations Human Development Program (PNUD, 2005) reports inequalities based on gender, social class and geographic location as well. Although these large inequalities are not just between indigenous and Ladinos, but are multidimensional, the Guatemalan government has responded by permitting multicultural education in a few schools. This thesis describes the results of qualitative research to examine the various oppressions present in Santiago Atitlán, as a microcosm of Guatemalan society, and with the goal of identifying a pedagogy better able to resolve these inequalities. The outcomes of the study are firstly to provide evidence that there are indeed multiple oppressions interlocking in Santiago Atitlán. Secondly, because these multiple oppressions intersect in both society and the individual, a multicultural approach calling for more tolerance to diversity is shown not to be enough to address these complexities. This study concludes that any meaningful pedagogy has to consider the historic roots of inequality, the multiple oppressions interlocking in society and the individual, and the positionality of subjects. It must encourage critical self-reflection as an exercise preparing teachers to work with students and members of the community if the goal is, in fact, to eradicate all types of discrimination

Supports for Migrant Farmworkers: Tensions in (In)access and (In)action

Purpose: This study examined the role of support actors in promoting or hindering access to migrant agricultural workers\u27 (MAWs) needs, and, to determine the factors that influence adequate support for this population.Methodology: Employing a Situational Analysis methodology, we carried out focus groups and interviews with 35 support actors complimented by a community scan (n=28) with public-facing support persons and a community consultation with migrant agricultural workers (MAWs).Findings: Two major themes were revealed: (In)access and (In)action, and; Blurred Lines in Service Provision. The first illustrated how support actors could both reinforce or challenge barriers for this population through tensions of: “Coping or Pushing Back on Constraints,” and “Need to find them first!” Justification or Preparation? Blurred lines in Service Provision encompassed organizational/staff’s behaviours and contradictions that could hinder meaningful support for MAWs revealing 2 key tensions: “Protection or performance?” and “Contradicting or reconciling priorities? These 4 tensions revealed a support system for MAWs still in its infancy, contending with difficult political and economic conditions.Implications: Service providers can use research findings to improve supports for MAWs. For example, addressing conflicts of interests in clinical encounters and identification of farms to inform adequate outreach strategies can contribute to more effective support for MAWs.Value: This research is novel in its examination of multiple sectors and both formal and informal actors involved in MAWs’ support that can inform more comprehensive readings of the health and social care resources available to MAWs

Borders and boundaries in the lives of migrant agricultural workers

In 2018, roughly 72%of the 69,775 temporary migrant agricultural labourers arriving in Canada participated in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP). Despite having legal status in Canada, these individuals are often systematically excluded from community life and face barriers when accessing health and social services. SAWP workers’ exclusion from many public spaces and their incomplete access to the benefits of Canadian citizenship or residency provide us a unique opportunity to examine social and political mechanisms that construct(in)eligibility for health and protection in society.As individuals seeking to care for the sick and most marginalized, it is important for nurses to understand how migrant agricultural workers are positioned and imagined in society. We argue that the structural exclusion faced by this population can be uncovered by examining:(1)border politics that inscribe inferior status onto migrant agricultural workers;(2) nation-state borders that promote racialized surveillance, and;(3) everyday normalization of exclusionary public service practices. We discuss how awareness of these contextual factors can be mobilized by nurses to work towards a more equitable health services approach for this population

Gold mining on Mayan-Mam territory: Social unravelling, discord and distress in the Western highlands of Guatemala

This article examines the influence of a large-scale mining operation on the health of the community of San Miguel Ixtahuacán, Guatemala. An anti-colonial narrative approach informed by participatory action research principles was employed. Data collection included focus groups and one-on-one interviews from August to November of 2011. Over this period, we interviewed 15 Mam Mayan men and 41 women (n=56) between the ages of 18 and 64 including health care workers, educators, spiritual leaders, agricultural workers and previous mine employees from 13 villages within the municipality. Participants\u27 accounts pointed to community health experiences of social unravelling characterized by overlapping narratives of a climate of fear and discord and embodied expressions of distress. These findings reveal the interconnected mechanisms by which local mining operations influenced the health of the community, specifically, by introducing new threats to the safety and mental wellbeing of local residents. © 2014 The Authors

Gold mining on Mayan-Mam territory: Social unravelling, discord and distress in the Western highlands of Guatemala

This article examines the influence of a large-scale mining operation on the health of the community of San Miguel Ixtahuacán, Guatemala. An anti-colonial narrative approach informed by participatory action research principles was employed. Data collection included focus groups and one-on-one interviews from August to November of 2011. Over this period, we interviewed 15 Mam Mayan men and 41 women (n=56) between the ages of 18 and 64 including health care workers, educators, spiritual leaders, agricultural workers and previous mine employees from 13 villages within the municipality. Participants\u27 accounts pointed to community health experiences of social unravelling characterized by overlapping narratives of a climate of fear and discord and embodied expressions of distress. These findings reveal the interconnected mechanisms by which local mining operations influenced the health of the community, specifically, by introducing new threats to the safety and mental wellbeing of local residents. © 2014 The Authors

The ‘contract’ and its discontents: Can it address protection gaps for migrant agricultural workers in Canada?

Canada\u27s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program has often been portrayed as a model for temporary migration programmes. It is largely governed by the Contracts negotiated between Canada and Mexico and Commonwealth Caribbean countries respectively. This article provides a critical analysis of the Contract by examining its structural context and considers the possibilities and limitations for ameliorating it. It outlines formal recommendations that the article co-authors presented during the annual Contract negotiations between Canada and sending states in 2020. The article then explains why these recommendations were not accepted, situating the negotiation process within the structural context that produces migrant workers\u27 vulnerability, on the one hand, and limits the capacity of representatives of sending and receiving states to expand rights and offer stronger protections to migrant farmworkers, on the other hand. We argue that fundamental changes are required to address the vulnerability of migrant agricultural workers. In the absence of structural changes, it is nevertheless important to seek improvements in the regulation of the programme through any means possible, including strengthening the Contract

Health, social and legal supports for migrant agricultural workers in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: a scoping review

IntroductionWe carried out a scoping review to examine what previous literature can teach us about practices and possibilities for support services for migrant agricultural workers.MethodsFollowing guidelines for scoping reviews as outlined by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and further refined by Levac et. al (2010) we conducted searches of several databases and two additional searches to capture regions of focus and more current literature. We used a thematic analysis to generate our themes.ResultsOur analysis yielded four key themes: (1) political, economic and legal factors; (2) living and working conditions; (3) facilitators/barriers to navigating services and supports and; (4) potential and existing strategies for social support for migrant agricultural workers. The first two themes pointed more to structural and material conditions that both posed barriers for this population to access supports, but also illustrated vulnerabilities that pointed to the need for a variety of services and protections. Under the third, we highlighted the ways that the design of services and supports, or their degree of accessibility, could shape the level of help available to this population. Lastly, potential and existing strategies for social support discussed in the literature included an emphasis on mental health and wellbeing, occupational health and safety training and documentation, and policy reforms to secure the status and address the precarity of this workforce.DiscussionWhile research on social support and service provision for migrant agricultural workers is still in its infancy, a strength of this body of work is its attention to macro-level issues that advocate for strategies that address root factors that shape this group’s health. Further research is required to expand our understanding of social support roles and possibilities across other domains and sectors for this population

Indigenous Storytelling and Participatory Action Research

Storytelling, in its various forms, has often been described as a practice with great emancipatory potential. In turn, Indigenous knowledge shows great promise in guiding a participatory action research (PAR) methodology. Yet these two approaches are rarely discussed in relation to one another, nor, has much been written in terms of how these two approaches may work synergistically toward a decolonizing research approach. In this article, I report on a community-driven knowledge translation activity, the Peoples’ International Health Tribunal, as an exemplar of how narrative and PAR approaches, guided by local Indigenous knowledge, have great potential to build methodologically and ethically robust research processes. Implications for building globally relevant research alliances and scholarship are further discussed, particularly in relation to working with Indigenous communities