Wind entrepeneurs, new rural subjects in Ciudad Ixtepec, Oaxaca

Abstract

Under the new rurality perspective, this work examines the redefinition de subjects and rural practices in the community of Ciudad Ixtepec, as a response to the Corredor Eólico del Istmo de Tehuantepec, a project aimed to propel economic development, taking advantage of the wind in a great scale. For this purpose, a qualitative perspective was adopted, giving priority to a focus orientated to the actor, through semistructured interviews and a case study. It was found that, despite the general unconformity in the region, due to the claims of territorial removal by the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (Electricity Federal Comision) and private eolic companies, a group of common landowners from Ciudad Ixtepec have decided to become "wind entrepreneurs", hoping to position themselves as electricity producers, conscious of the eolic resource that is present in their territory and its attractive economic benefits. This leads to a change of perspective, disrupting the original idea of agrarian property.