Indigenous Women Activists and Political Participation

ABSTRACT This article examines the political identity, demographics, and experience of 16 Latina and Native American women activists in environmental justice organizations in New Mexico. Based on qualitative interview data, a model of indigenous women's grassroots activism is developed. Additionally, alternative conceptualizations of feminism and environmentalism are presented from the perspective of indigenous women leaders. The findings are discussed and compared with similar studies in the literature of ethnic/ race and gender politics. We conclude that there are important similarities between women active in grassroots community organizing. Differences in their ideologies and motivation for participating in politics, however, warrant the development of new conceptions of political activism, feminism, and environmentalism.