« Capabilités » et représentations sociales dans les conflits liés à la ressource en eau en périphérie urbaine au Mexique (Atlixco, Puebla, Mexique)

• Main Authors: Marie Zoé Wurtz, Valentina Campos Cabral
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institut Pluridisciplinaire pour les Etudes sur l'Amérique Latine 2015-07-01
• Series: L'Ordinaire des Amériques
• Subjects: water; vulnerability; capability; representation; Mexico
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/orda/1843

In Mexico, 80% of water resources are used for irrigation purposes. But since the end of the 19th century, urban and industrial growth has strongly degraded water resources, quality- and quantity-wise. Communities located near large cities are particularly exposed to water-related vulnerabilities. This paper will use the example of the Atlixco region (Puebla) to show how geopolitical factors and local actors assess such vulnerabilities. Using secondary sources and data collected in the field between 2009 and 2012, it will deal with the country’s water policies and the grassroots actions undertaken in Atlixco and in the rural communities of Magdalena Axocopan and San Juan Tejaluca. Rural vulnerability entails the political and social representations of agricultural practices. The past history of social actors also determines how water-related vulnerabilities are managed. Those cannot be suppressed but local activists can try to question governing practices and established authorities.