Friction: indigenous peoples and food sovereignty

By framing food sovereignty as ‘universalism,’ this paper unveils various dynamics of food sovereignty as a concept and movement that travel across cultures and geographies. Through this political process, food sovereignty is contested by the plural visions which its adherents advance. By examining indigenous peoples of Guatemala and their encounter with food sovereignty as a case study, I discuss three ‘awkward encounters’ which have shaped, but also enriched, the ideas of and movements for food sovereignty. First, the historical encounters of indigenous peoples and capitalism and how this shapes contemporary understandings and constructions of food sovereignty. Second, encounters of multiple and competing sovereignties as plural expressions of indigenous self-determination. Thirdly, the encounters between indigenous peoples and peasant-centric universals embodied in food sovereignty which continue to reproduce. By using Anna Tsing’s concept of “friction” in analyzing these three encounters, I problematize romantic notions of indigenous peoples and food sovereignty, revealing challenges and contradictions in the constructions of food sovereignty.