Histories (and the dead) in paths for a just future

I craned my neck to watch the ‘skeletons’ passing by in the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) parade, feeling overwhelmed by the noise of popping firecrackers, laughing crowds and festive music in the chilly night. The scent of marigold flowers permeates the air as homes and shops decorate their entrances with the vibrant orange flowers and create altars both as memorials and as a bridge connecting the living with their ancestors. It is said that the dead can only ‘see’ orange and the flowers thus create a pathway for the dead ancestors to return and share a meal of their favourite foods with the living family members.

This unique celebration of culture, life, death and family was such as a brilliant experience, and I felt very lucky to be able to see this while participating at the in Oaxaca, Mexico last November. The GLP is a global interdisciplinary network of science and practice, working to foster understanding of land systems and the next generation of science-based solutions for local- to global-scale challenges.

Oaxaca was an inspired location for the GLP-OSM5, as the city is a hub for indigenous activism, knowledge and practices of land use that prioritize collective management of their territories and emphasize cultural identity to the land. The conference leveraged on this diversity by partnering with local communities and cooperatives throughout the event, ensuring that not only food for thought was grounded in local experiences, but also the delicious food that was served!

This unique context provided an invaluable perspective to the conference and to the discussions in the panel session co-organised by FairFrontiers and , on “”. Our session invited papers that examine forms of inequalities related to the globalisation and financialisation of forests and land, with the aim to identify together with the audience, pathways that allow us to break with the infrastructures of inequality or to overcome obstacles that would halt the machinery of inequality production. Over 30 participants joined our session for lively small group discussions of their research on similar topics, and shared experiences and perspectives.

The invigorating conversations interrogated our options for transformative change – and there was general agreement that change will require the strength of our collective knowledge, the need to address the politics of land and territoriality, recognition of histories and the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate worlds in which we live.

We left the conference – and Oaxaca – feeling rejuvenated and inspired by the commitment (and activism) of many of the different scholars and activists who were present … and feeling more convinced than ever that our work is still relevant to inform pathways for a just change.

Some resources to learn more about indigenous agriculture and activism in Oaxaca:

• New America:
• NPR:

For an introduction to Dia de los Muertos, watch !

Written by Grace Wong