Amid escalating sustainability crises, academia has increasingly turned toward knowledge co-creation. This trend is reflected in the growing number of collaborative research initiatives with Indigenous peoples, whose knowledge and perspectives are often regarded as offering valuable contributions to addressing global challenges. In this article, we - five female researchers, who study knowledge creation and strive to conduct research in collaboration with Indigenous groups - reflect on and unpack our own experiences in light of our diverse positionalities. Our aim is to pull back the curtain on the realities of these methodologies. By exposing these 'behind-the-scenes' perspectives, we hope to deepen the understanding of what co-creation with Indigenous groups entails and to highlight the challenges and its possibilities in practice. As we reflect on our experiences through the lenses of dialogism, feminist epistemologies, critical STS studies, and perspectives from Indigenous thinkers, we (re)discover co-creation as a process of "becoming subjects together", one in which the personal, professional, and political are intertwined, sustained by reciprocal engagement, shared values, and the recognition of Indigenous peoples as subjects in their own right. Our experiences underscore both the difficulties and the transformative possibilities of moving beyond established methodologies and confronting the epistemic and institutional constraints that hinder such collaborations.

Las experiencias económicas comunitarias examinadas en este libro comparten una búsqueda común: construir alternativas al capitalismo desde abajo. Predominan las investigaciones dedicadas al turismo comunitario indígena —en la Sierra, la Amazonía, la Costa ecuatoriana y en el caso brasileño de los Pataxó— y su objetivo es analizar la manera en que simultáneamente constituyen una afirmación cultural, un empoderamiento de las mujeres y una revitalización de prácticas ancestrales. No solo generan ingresos, también reconfiguran relaciones de poder, abren fisuras en arcanas estructuras patriarcales y coloniales. Otros capítulos amplían la mirada y exploran iniciativas ligadas a cooperativas de ahorro y crédito, minería comunitaria sostenible y otras formas de autogestión económica. ¿Pueden estas experiencias abrir un camino viable para cambiar no solo las vidas de quienes participan en ellas sino las reglas mismas del funcionamiento de la sociedad y la economía?

This chapter explores the Indigenous moral-philosophical conceptualization of Buen Vivir (Vivir Bien/ Sumak Kawsay/Suma Qamaña) as a decolonial framework for social justice and ecological harmony, rooted in Indigenous epistemologies from the Andes and Amazon. It emphasizes the term Tinkuy, representing encounters and confrontations among diverse knowledge systems, which underscores Indigenous resistance against colonial legacies. The authors analyze the constitutional recognition of Indigenous rights in Ecuador and Bolivia, positioning Buen Vivir as a response to capitalist development models. The chapter argues for a multidimensional understanding of Buen Vivir, integrating class/justice, culture/ethnicity/ontology/epistemology, and ecologism to address the complexities of Indigenous struggles. Through comparative analysis of Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives, the authors highlight the importance of ethnographic research in capturing diverse voices. The political implications of Buen Vivir are examined, revealing tensions between Indigenous movements and state policies, particularly regarding extractivism. The authors advocate for recognizing the duality of particularistic and universalistic goals within Indigenous movements, framing Buen Vivir as a floating and plural conceptualization, a "flying river" that adapts to local contexts while promoting social justice. Ultimately, the chapter calls for a holistic understanding of Buen Vivir that encompasses both cultural preservation and broader socio-economic justice, underscoring its relevance in contemporary struggles for ecological sustainability and equity.

The governance of natural resources faces pressure for sustainable management. A frequent approach to preserving nature is the invention of parks, protected areas, and responsible tourism projects (Coria & Cafecura, 2012). Given that a tremendous portion of the global population living in deprivation resides in Sub-Saharan Africa, a region encircling rich biodiversity and cultural estate, responsible tourism holds popularity in reconciling social needs with nature preservation. Moreover, conservation planning in Sub-Saharan Africa has been in focus since the colonial era (Duffy, 2006; King, 2010). This thesis focuses on the intricate dynamics between tourism initiatives and conservation measures through three months of fieldwork, with a qualitative methodology based on interviews and observations – with the rural communities' subjective perspectives of socio-environmental implications concerning tourism in the Maputo Special Reserve, Mozambique. The study circled on community-based tourism (CBT) enterprises to facilitate insight into the complexity of managing human-nature interactions. Findings highlight the communities' outlook on tourism and wildlife management – considering all participants struggle with inadequate sustenance. The fieldwork highlights challenges in handling the CBT, stakeholder report, revenue transparency, and participation. Identified practices are crucial for these communities' holistic development. Substantial barriers hinder initiatives: insufficient education, language barriers, funding, governmental support, and provisioning services to sustain tourism projects independently. Results contribute a political ecology lens to the existing body of understanding linked to communities in and around protected areas, highlighting the essence of community engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa completed by convivial theory relevant to sustainable nature management. Emphasizing the significance of deliberating on current approaches to community-based tourism in protected areas, proposing a foundation for continued advancements in the field.

This study analyses the narratives expressed by the Pataxó indigenous people of Brazil within their indigenous tourism project, the “Jaqueira Reserve”. Our findings show that the indigenous people's role as protagonists in this setting foregrounds their voices, allowing them to retell and reposition themselves in history and to re-envision the future by presenting different ways of thinking and being. We contend that this Pataxó experience illustrates how decolonial endeavours are being crafted on an everyday basis in ways that strengthen indigenous cultural and environmental rights. Accordingly, we conclude that indigenous tourism has a transformational potential in the sense that it can counter the colonialization of mind and ideas and coloniality's violent oppression/exploitation of culture and nature. 

This study analyses the emblematic experience of an indigenous group in Brazil, the Pataxó, who was able to set up and exercise strong control over an indigenous tourism project: the Jaqueira Reserve. Based on document analysis, interviews, and observations, we show how the Jaqueira Reserve was consolidated not only as a strongly autonomous initiative but also as constituent of a greater quest for autonomy (to craft aspired livelihoods conducive to cultural revitalization and environmental protection). The Pataxó experience shows that indigenous tourism can be an instrument in greater indigenous struggles, and as such can develop not only despite marginalization but also against it.

This article approaches livelihood alterations in Indigenous communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon as means of adaptation and resistance to socio-environmental impacts brought along by the expansion of global capitalism. The cases comprise collective Indigenous endeavors in typically capitalist sectors -tourism and mining -illustrated by the experiences of Kichwa community tourism in Shiripuno in the central Amazon, and sustainable mining in the southern Amazonian Shuar community of Congüime (Kenkuim). Theaim is to unravel these emerging livelihood strategies in relation to Indigenous ethno-cultural identity. Methodologically, we rely on comparative and ethnographic work in the field with Indigenous actors, and on a theoretical framework anchored in the concepts of innovators, cultural boundary changes (Fredrik Barth), social fields of force (William Roseberry), and intercultural regimes (Fernando Galindo and Xavier Albó). In both empirical cases -Indigenous-controlled tourism and mining -communities are framing their ethnic identity to engage with, and positively reposition themselves in relation to the wider society. We hold that these endeavors must be comprehended as highly innovative, and that indigeneity and cultural boundaries can be strengthened bysocio-cultural changes toward livelihoods previously considered as “unauthentic” or “non-Indigenous”. We also argue that these new livelihood orientations have (purposely) altered gender relations within the communities in benefit of women. Additionally, our cases suggest that cultural strengthening and gender empowerment, among other positive outcomes, requires a nuanced apprehension of indigeneity as a partly floating concept and instrument gaining ground amid the increasing interconnectedness of ancienttraditions and capitalist modernity.

Este artículo aborda alteraciones de los modos de subsistencia en comunidades indígenas de la Amazonía ecuatoriana como medios de adaptación y resistencia a los impactos socioambientales provocados por la expansión del capitalismo global. Los casos comprenden esfuerzos indígenas colectivos en sectores típicamente capitalistas -turismo y minería -ilustrados por las experiencias del turismo comunitario Kichwa en Shiripuno en la Amazonía central, y la minería sostenible en la comunidad Shuar de Congüime (Kenkuim) en el sur amazónico. El objetivo esdesentrañar estas estrategias emergentes de subsistencia en relación con la identidad étnico-cultural. Metodológicamente, nos basamos en el trabajo comparativo y etnográfico en el campo con actores indígenas, y en un marco teórico anclado en los conceptosde innovadores, cambios de límites culturales (Fredrik Barth), campos sociales de fuerza (William Roseberry), y regímenes interculturales (Fernando Galindo y Xavier Albó). En ambos casos empíricos -el turismo y la minería controlados por los indígenas -las comunidades están enmarcando su identidad étnica para comprometerse y reposicionarse positivamente en relación con la sociedad más amplia. Sostenemos que estos esfuerzos deben ser comprendidos como altamente innovadores, y que la indigeneidad y las fronteras culturales pueden fortalecerse mediante cambios socioculturales hacia modos de subsistencia previamente considerados como "no auténticos" o "no indígenas". Asimismo, argumentamos que estas nuevas orientaciones de subsistencia han alterado (deliberadamente) las relaciones de género dentro de las comunidades en beneficio de las mujeres. Además, nuestros casos sugieren que el fortalecimiento cultural y el empoderamiento de género, entre otros resultados positivos, requieren una aprehensión matizada de la indigeneidad como un concepto e instrumento parcialmente flotante que gana terreno en medio de la creciente interconexión de las tradiciones ancestrales y la modernidad capitalista.

Con inspiración teórica de la ecología política, perspectivas decoloniales y la conceptualización de utopías reales, este estudio etnográfico y comparativo trata de las experiencias de proyectos de turismo comunitario indígena desde abajo - iniciados y controlados desde la comunidad - en cuatro regiones de Ecuador. Más específicamente, se presentan los casos de las mujeres Kichwa- amazónicas de Shiripuno, el proyecto Mushily de los Tsáchila de un valle tropical del noroeste ecuatoriano, el caso costeño de Tsuer Entsa de los Shuar, y el proyecto Jatarishun de los Kichwa de la Sierra Norte. Estos casos se consideran emblemáticos e ilustrativos por sus características de ser iniciados y controlados por los mismos comuneros y en beneficio de toda la unidad comunitaria. En el artículo, estos proyectos se interpretan como expresiones tanto de resistencia por derechos y reconocimiento, como de adaptación al sistema capitalista y colonial, pero más que nunca bajo términos indígenas. Se destacan las dimensiones de relaciones de poder y las condiciones para el empoderamiento socioeconómico, cultural y ambiental, así como ciertos dilemas y desafíos, incluso sobre el tema de la autenticidad indígena en cuanto al turismo comunitario como modo de subsistencia principal para la cultura e identidad indígena. La pregunta central de investigación es: ¿Cómo perciben los actores protagonistas indígenas los impactos socioculturales, económicos y ambientales de las actividades turísticas en sus localidades? El resultado de la investigación indica que el turismo comunitario indígena desde abajo puede considerarse una opción viable de modo de subsistencia para las comunidades indígenas, conllevando asimismo el empoderamiento multidimensional.

Drawing theoretical inspiration from political ecology, decolonial perspectives, and the conceptualization of real utopias, this ethnographic and comparative study deals with the experiences of bottom-up Indigenous community tourism projects – initiated and controlled from the community – in four Ecuadorian regions. More specifically, the cases of the Kichwa-Amazonian women of Shiripuno, the Mushily project of the Tsáchila in a tropical valley of northwestern Ecuador, the coastal case of Tsuer Entsa of the Shuar, and the Jatarishun project of the Kichwa of the northern highlands are presented. These are cases that are considered emblematic and illustrative because of their characteristics of being initiated and controlled by the community members themselves and for the benefit of the entire community unit. In the article, these projects are interpreted as expressions of both resistances for rights and recognition, as well as adaptation to the capitalist and colonial system, but more than ever on Indigenous terms. The dimensions of power relations and conditions for socio-economic, cultural, and environmental empowerment are highlighted, as well as certain dilemmas and challenges, including on the issue of Indigenous authenticity in terms of community-based tourism as the main livelihood source for Indigenous culture and identity. The central research question is: How do Indigenous actors perceive the socio-cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of tourism activities in their localities? The research results indicate that Indigenous community tourism from below can be a viable livelihood option for Indigenous communities, leading to multidimensional empowerment.