A Political-Ethical Stance For Decolonizing Movements by Chris Rodriguez

As a Decolonial movements seek to decolonize the Occupy Wall Street Movement(s), a political-ethical stance inspired by two already existing movements is worth sharing: (1) The ethics of decolonizing food movements rooted in indigenous principles. I originally published this piece with a generalization of this dynamic autonomous movement of movements by calling it the food sovereignty movement. After a series of critical reflection I engaged with my compañera on the differences between decolonization, self-determination and sovereignty I realized that the ethics discussed here go far beyond sovereignty. Taiaiake Alfred, Gustavo Esteve & Madhu Prakash offer important critiques on sovereignty and universal human rights (among other topics) that provoked me to clarify the language used in this piece. In a nut-shell, I am not here to promote sovereignty since it implies the reaffirming role and rule of Western thought, governance, state/nation-hood, and heirarchal control over the land. This is an offereing of some lessons i've gained in decolonzing movements and decolonizing food movements which are inclusive of all of our relations—people, plants, animals, water and the land.  It is how we defend and give voice to the land. (2) The Zapatista initiated Other Campaign. Because it is the one and only movement with the political trajectory and international solidarity that articulates the idea of creating another way of doing politics from below and to the left…in other words a decolonial political-ethical stance.  

These two movements of movements can teach us how not to be co-opted while providing us with guiding examples of how to stay on the course we are already on. That is, on the path of assembly and encountering the other—los de abajo—as we seek to decolonize. One way to actually experience decolonization live in the flesh is by eating a plant-based local indigenous diet that is ecologically and geographically specific to where one lives.

La Cocina: A Dignified Occupation by Chris Rodriguez

Red quinoa with roasted corn, red bell peppers, leeks, carrots, celery and purple onions.* 

My roots of rebellion first manifested in the form of public protest and occupation i.e. the South Central Farm encampment, organizing restaurant and hotel co-workers, May Day of 2006, and Cal Poly Pomona student occupation/ encampment-just to name a few. Most importantly, however, are the lessons I've learned from my elders who have shown me through ceremony that radical change begins with the self and in the home. It is a difficult lesson to learn that if one is not healthy within being an effective agent for the true liberation our communities desire is very difficult if not impossible. The Zapatistas say, “the most precious thing you can give to a movement is health.” We say health, autonomous and self-determined, is constructed through maintaining and promoting a plant-based diet--

Decolonize The Occupations!

by Chris Rodriguez

The destructive face of globalization has reached all corners of the planet. While the land, water, air, animals and humanity are in need of a world-wide movement of liberation, most people continue to overindulge and over consume. The United States is of course the leading force behind this mass consumption and destruction. But, as a Mexican writer for the radical blog Desinformémonos said, “finally something begins to move in the belly of the beast.” Yes, I’m talking about the Occupy Wall Street movement. Writing from within the belly of the beast, however, implies a responsibility to challenge the language of empire and remind us that beyond occupying space, there is a deeper struggle, a five hundred plus year-old indigenous movement, to decolonize, recuperate and liberate occupied territory—physical and geographic. Perhaps the use of the term “occupy” is embedded in people’s consumption of the U.S. Empire’s mass media promoting endless war and domination of the world. I feel it is safe to say that this has normalized the idea of occupation, and as we are witnessing today, has also made it easy for the masses to reclaim the word “occupy” as a positive, progressive one. But did you ever stop to think about how your own physical mind and body are occupied? Do we really need to occupy more space? How will these questions reach a leaderless movement of occupation? Well for the folks who take the time to read this post my intention is to express solidarity with the those who are voicing their rage at the occupations. Perhaps some of you camping out at civic centers and wall streets across the U.S. Empire will have time to read this post and get inspired to praxis what you’re preaching.

A "Latino Health Paradox" or Radical Ecological Indigenous Foodways?

A graduate research paper

by

Chris Rodriguez

for the

Department of Latin American Studies

California State University Los Angeles

Fall 2010

Updated and revised for Decolonial Food For Thought (Spring 2011)

This post has been removed because I am editing it for publication!! In between work, preparing dinner, hand scrubbing diapers, doing laundry and grocery shopping, I am squeezing in time to finish the last revisions of what will soon become my first published chapter. My working title for the chapter is “Zapatismo as gastronomy: re-framing the Latino Health Paradox” and it is part of a forthcoming anthology by Ashgate Press on Radical Nutrition. Stay connected for updates on this exciting project.