The collective dilemma of the Miskito peoples of Nicaragua in the 1990's

The Tasbapauni case

Abstract

This article argues that neoliberal policies have had a double and contradictory impact on the use of community property in the villages of the Atlantic Coast since the 1990s. On the one hand, the capitalist market has expanded through domestic and foreign companies, intermediaries, buyers, and new consumer products. The incentives to take collective action in favor of community resources diminish, because each individual (household) feels more and more motivated by the opportunities offered by the market for community resources. The authors of this article use material collected in the Tasbapauni community, which suggests that this property regime has not been destroyed. The explanation depends on the crucial role played by a small group of social actors who fought for Miskito rights during the war in the 1980s and shifted this struggle to the defense of community identity and respect for community resources.