Reclaiming Indigenous Security: Responding to Violence in Cheran, Mexico
Reclaiming Indigenous Security: Responding to Violence in Cheran, Mexico

Author(s): Kristy L. Masten
Subject(s): Security and defense, Studies in violence and power
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Reclaiming; indigenous; security; responding; violence; Cheran; Mexico;
Summary/Abstract: Cherán is a small community in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, a mountainous region covered in coniferous forests and made up of mostly Purépecha people. In 2014, Cherán became the first formally recognized Indigenous municipality in Mexico and now is governed by a series of councils chosen according to its usos y costumbres, the customary and traditional legal and social institutions of Indigenous communities (Bárcena Arévalo & Aragón Andrade, 2018). The municipality currently engages in extensive tree planting programs (Sullivan, 2018) and has one of the most robust recycling programs in Mexico (Gonzalez Covarrubias, 2019). In addition, it has been transformed into one of the safest municipalities in Michoacán over the past twelve years. How did this Indigenous community come to its current accountable, sustainably-managed, and safe way of being?

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