Producing a 'space of dignity'. Knitting together space and dignity in the EZLN rebellion in Mexico

I explore the production of new political, cultural and economic spaces (including the Zapatista Rebel Territory, Rebel Autonomous Municipalities, Caracoles and Juntas) constructed by the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN), an indigenous rebellion in the Mexican state of Chiapas that rose up against the government on January 1, 1994. These spaces are articulated as a symbol of and material basis for sustaining the long-term resistance begun by the EZLN to demand a 'space of dignity’ for the indigenous peoples.;Based on the major stages in the EZLN's political practice from 1994 to 2003—the Declarations of the Lacandona Jungle, the declaration of the Zapatista Rebel Territory, and current phase of Good Government—I discuss further how a 'space of dignity' can be conceptually defined, how it can be socially produced, and how it can be a means for social transformation.;My approach to the Zapatista struggle sheds a light not only on the resulting relationships between space, dignity and resistance, but it looks forward to the meaning these concepts and relationships have for understanding the nature of the Zapatista rebellion and the contribution of this experience within the larger context of the production of space in capitalism.;I conclude that the notion of a 'space of dignity' can provide an abstract framework to reflect on the possibilities for thinking of space as a means for revolutionary transformation, namely for organized resistance against neoliberal globalization. And that for the Zapatista rebellion, the practical meaning of this ultimate goal has resulted in the re-signification of the notion of dignity—both as a cultural and geographical framework—from which to think and construct spaces for defending autonomy and territory for the indigenous peoples of Mexico.;This research is focused around a case study using qualitative research methodologies, combining ethnographic and archival sources with extensive fieldwork, conducted in 2002 and 2004 in the EZLN rebel territories.