Indigenous socio-environmental movement: resistance and political proactivity Apyãwa

Abstract

This study analyzes the processes of social mobilization and political action of the Apyãwa Indigenous people, highlighting their resistance strategies and the defense of their rights. Located in the state of Mato Grosso, the Apyãwa face the historical impacts of colonization and the contemporary pressures of global capitalism, which threaten their territories and ways of life. The research employs a qualitative approach, combining bibliographic and documentary analysis with a case study based on 27 semi-structured interviews conducted with Indigenous leaders, in addition to participant observation. The results reveal the central role of the Apyãwa in constructing pathways that integrate cultural, economic, and political sustainability, aimed at territorial preservation and the continuity of ancestral practices. From the perspective of political ecology, which examines power relations and the use of natural resources, their actions align with broader resistance movements, countering the logic of capitalist neo-extractivism.