Green colonialism and decolonial feminism: A study of Wayúu women’s resistance in La Guajira
研究哥伦比亚拉瓜希拉省大型风电项目如何影响瓦尤原住民，揭示政府和企业只关注经济利益而忽视原住民世界观，瓦尤妇女通过去殖民女性主义抵抗绿色殖民主义。
This qualitative study scrutinises how green energy investment affects Indigenous Wayúu people in Colombia’s La Guajira region. Employing coloniality of power and decolonial feminism frameworks, we delve into Wayúu women’s struggles and resilience in defending territories against large-scale wind energy projects. Our findings suggest that governments and businesses are ‘tuned in’ to the economic benefits of these projects, yet ‘tuned out’ from Indigenous peoples’ ontologies, concerns, needs and cosmovisions. This dynamic prompts questions about the unintended consequences of organisations’ engagement with Indigenous peoples through corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies. Despite good intentions, CSR practices that are ‘tuned out’ from Indigenous peoples’ cosmovisions may inadvertently reinforce power imbalances and further marginalise Indigenous communities. Our study highlights the need to honour Indigenous territories and protect Indigenous women’s rights in long-term investments. Clean energy focus can mask green colonialism, which Wayúu women actively safeguard, upholding Indigenous worldviews via feminist decoloniality. We advocate for businesses to incorporate diverse perspectives beyond the dominant western worldview into their climate change mitigation actions and CSR strategies, and for public policies to balance decarbonisation efforts with Indigenous rights to contribute to sustainable and equitable energy transitions.