Narrative Sovereignty and Territorial Self-management: Communicative Infrastructures of Resistance in the Pan-Amazon

Abstract

This study examines communication as a central practice in territorial disputes and socio-environmental struggles across the Pan-Amazonia, a region spanning nine countries with interconnected ecological and cultural landscapes. The analysis highlights how community-led communication strategies serve as tools for asserting narrative sovereignty, preserving cultural and linguistic heritage, and resisting extractivist and urbanization pressures. The research addresses the interplay between state and corporate development narratives and Indigenous and local community visions of territory, emphasizing relational ethics and collective well-being over extractive economic models. Various communication modalities—including community radio broadcasting, activism on digital platforms, participatory workshops, and storytelling—are analyzed as means of sustaining territorial self-management, enabling grassroots mobilizations, and supporting legal and, above all, political advocacy. Furthermore, the integration of Indigenous and scientific knowledge is presented as a method for strengthening environmental monitoring and the defense of the biome, while respecting the diversity of epistemologies. The potential of emerging technologies, such as drones and digital mapping, is underscored as they are reclaimed by local governments of communities and Indigenous peoples. Finally, the work highlights the role of communication in the face of corporate disinformation, revealing the active terrain of resistance and essential self-determination it possesses.