The Documentation, Research and Action Center of Ikaria is a non-profit organization, established in 2012 and based at the village of Katafygi, in the Greek island of Ikaria. The source of inspiration has been Ivan Illich and his work in Mexico, where in 1961, he established the Intercultural Documentation Center, aiming at documenting the role of ‘modern development’ in the dismemberment of local cultures, the loss of traditional ways of life and the creation of poverty.
DRACoI was co-founded by Dr. Maria Gaglia Bareli and Effrosyni Koutsouti, a trained anthropologist and citizen scientist. The rest of its boarding committee is consisted by an architect and two locals, who are also active members of the village association where the DRACoI is based. Through their collaboration they aim at creating the conditions for an equal and respectful exchange between locals and researchers, for the advantage of both sides.
More specifically, the aims of the DRACoI are:
the digitalisation of research material relevant of Ikarian society and culture, the local environment and history.
the creation of educational projects which empower local communities and enable them to participate in processes of knowledge production and decision-making, especially those relevant to development plans. Not to participate in such decision-making processes has been shown to lead to the loss of community control over ecosystems, the loss of intergenerational knowledge and the loss of livelihoods, the erosion of local cultures and the undermining of environmental, food and health security.
Finally, DRACoI aims at doing the ground work that will culminate in the development of a ‘Community Protocol on the island’s commons, its natural resources and livelihoods. By thus doing, it aims at contributing to the wider work-in-progress on the acknowledgement and enforcement of communal resources, which are either usurped in the name of national interest, climate change and economic development.
Ikarian Documentation Pages 
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