ABSTRACT
This chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Degrowth (2025) points out that indigenous peoples around the world are drawing on their rich cultural heritages to continue resisting their incorporation into the ‘modern world system’. Following generations of oppression, exclusion, and intents of extermination and assimilation, they continue to be a vibrant social and political force offering examples of self-organisation that are effectively improving the quality of life of their members and managing their territories while creating social and productive structures that are models for ameliorating the destructive impacts of the environmental crisis. They are actively engaged in forging local, regional and international alliances to reinforce their claims for autonomy and consolidate their strategies towards self-sufficiency. This includes significant efforts to attend to the social facets of community life, firmly rooted in the rich heritage of cosmovisions that guide their cultural and spiritual dimensions. The degrowth movement could learn much from these indigenous experiences, perspectives and practices in its search for transformative models.
