| dc.description.abstract | In the pursuit of sustainable economic development, the people-centered and democratic approach of cooperatives has shown to be an alternative model to conventional capitalist enterprises that often prioritize profit over human capital. One of the activities cooperatives make use of for income generation is entrepreneurship. As part of a historically marginalized group, indigenous women have resorted to cooperative entrepreneurship as a self-employment strategy to achieve socio-economic change and empowerment. This study proposed to analyze cooperative entrepreneurship as one of the livelihood strategies that dispersed indigenous women rely on, and how these women perceived the social network as a means for socio, economic, and political change. To illustrate the application of this study, I chose the Association of Indigenous Women from the Alto Rio Negro – AMARN, located in Manaus – Brazil. The methodology applied was qualitative, based on semi-structured online interviews with 11 participants chosen from the association members. The results suggest that outcomes such as well-being and capabilities improved achieved by the association members are perceived as more important aspects of their livelihoods than the financial return they earn from the craftwork sales facilitated by the organization. The data shows that limited attention is given to underlying gender and race issues that affect and influence these women’s livelihood despite their role as bearers and transmitters of indigenous culture. More engagement and open discussions about gender-related issues regarding the inclusion and participation of indigenous women in the women and indigenous’ rights movement are suggested. | |
