Security meanings and land defense in the context of the Interoceanic Corridor infrastructure (CIIT) megaproject

Abstract This article explores the meanings of security within the context of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT) project in southern Mexico, a proposed multimodal transport corridor connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. Touted as a viable alternative to the Panama Canal, the CIIT aims to expedite global goods circulation while simultaneously boosting the local economy. However, as with many large-scale infrastructure or resource extraction projects, such developments often lead to profound changes—altering landscapes, populations, and economies—frequently at the cost of the environment and communities’ established ways of living. Drawing on interviews with local residents, the article delves into the significance of the communal life system, or comunalidad, in securing alternative lifeworlds. These lifeworld-based notions of security stress the importance of mutuality, reciprocity, and care—principles through which natural resources are managed and collective well-being is structured. This article argues that in order to adequately conceptualize, critique, and challenge the harm caused by invasive infrastructure megaprojects, it is necessary to broaden conventional security frameworks to include the protection of distinct lifeworlds—that is, co-constituted conditions of being-together, rooted in the interconnectedness of human, non-human, and natural worlds.