Marisquadoras of the Shellfish Revolution: The Rise of Women in Co-management on Illa de Arousa, Galicia

Abstract

"Organized along two story lines, this paper threads both together in order to understand the political ecology of Illa. The first line is that of the macrostructural changes that made up the shellfish revolution. Outside Illa's fishing culture, these political economic events are categorized by EC involvement in Galician fisheries and post-Franco infrastructure development. The second line is that of the local culture of the marisquadoras. Political ecology calls for such a multilevel, historical approach that links the local culture to macrostructural changes (R. Bryant 1992, R.Neumann 1992). In Illa, the macro and the local converge when the cofradia is in the unique social situation of hiring a local professional director who is able to initiate progressive shellfish comanagement. The marisquadoras are empowered in the process, joining in comanagement and attaining a new community status. This paper examines the convergence that facilitates change. It explores how women's new political status is not invented by an outsider, but rather is built upon existing values, deriving from the cultural roles of the marisquadoras, the sexual division of labor in shellfishing and the position of women as family bankers."