Food sovereignty of the P’urhépecha of Michoacán, Mexico: historical review and critical perspectives from nature-culture relationships

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to analyze the relationships between culture and nature associated with food sovereignty of the P'urhépecha people of Michoacán, central Mexico. We explore how food sovereignty could be analyzed by decentering humans. Firstly, we examine the context and meaning of food sovereignty based on information on the P'urhépecha culture, its history and food patterns. Then, we discuss the concept of food sovereignty from three perspectives: (1) How food sovereignty could be understood by decentering humans; (2) How to define food sovereignty from a relational perspective; and (3) How to do justice to an ontological plurality that involves non-human organisms. We conclude the need of considering new ways to understand food sovereignty, emphasizing the relational perspectives that include non-human entities.

Keywords

• Food patterns
• Maize
• Ethnohistory
• Nature-culture relationships