El Universo Simbólico y la Participación Comunitaria en la Gobernanza de la Zona Costera de Manaure, Caribe Colombiano

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: to explore the connection between water and the symbolic universe in Wayuu indigenous communities of the municipality of Manaure, La Guajira, through the analysis of community participation in decision-making processes regarding water conservation in marine-coastal territories. Method: the research was developed from a socio-critical approach, using the action-research method. Direct field observation techniques, participatory workshops, and questionnaires were administered to community members between March and October 2023. The analysis was conducted through triangulation and thematic categorization of the information collected. Results: the findings focus on the interpretation of two categories —symbolic universe and social participation— which evidence the interaction of two complementary planes: a spiritual one, expressing the existential dependence on water, and a material one, linked to the access, use, and exploitation of the resource, affected by processes of distancing and transformation of the identity image of natural sources in the coastal zone. These results show that community water management cannot be understood solely from technical or administrative variables, but requires considering cultural and symbolic frameworks that structure collective practices and local decisions. Conclusion: there is a profound relationship between water management in marine-coastal territories and the worldview of indigenous women, highlighting the need for intercultural approaches that recognize community participation as the axis of ancestral water governance.

Keywords: water; governance; community participation; symbolic universe.