Extractivism and Social Movements
Lecturer: Dr Andrea Sempértegui
April 25, 2022
Lectures:
1. Connected Sociologies of Pollution
2. Palm Oil: The Grease of Empire
3. Extractivism and Social Movements
4. Plastics and Toxic Colonialism
5. Food Shortages: Causes and Policy Implications
“Extractivism” broadly refers to the removal of great quantities of natural resources (hydrocarbons, minerals, or agricultural products) which are then exported and processed abroad. At the turn of the century, the global energy and commodity boom increased state dependency on extractivism and gave the concept new and broader meanings. In this session, we will examine different approaches to the study of extractivism with a focus on social scientists working on and from Latin America, a region that has experienced a dramatic expansion of extractive projects with negative socio-ecological impacts. With this regional focus, we can understand extractivism as a situated and yet global phenomenon, which has shaped the colonial-capitalist system and which is linked to different forms of state development, capitalist accumulation, spoilage, and resistance. Moreover, by focusing on Latin America, we will learn how Indigenous, environmental, and feminist movements have not only contributed to the critical analysis of extractivism. They have also generated visions for post-extractive futures amidst environmental degradation and global warming.
Reading
- Acosta, Alberto (2013). “Extractivism and Neoextractivism: Two Sides of the Same Curse.”
- Gago, Verónica and Sandro Mezzadra (2017). “A Critique of the Extractive Operations of Capital: Toward an Expanded Concept of Extractivism.” Rethinking Marxism, 29(4), 574-591.
- Galeano, Eduardo (1997). Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. New york: Monthly Review Press.
- Gudynas, Eduardo (2010). “The New Extractivism of the 21st Century: Ten Urgent Theses about Extractivism in Relation to Current South American Progressivism.” Americas Program Report. Washington, DC: Center for International Policy.
- Riofrancos, Thea (2017). “Extractivismo Unearthed: A Genealogy of a Radical Discourse.” Cultural Studies, 31(2-3), 277-306.
- Svampa, Maristella (2015). “Commodities Consensus: Neoextractivism and Enclosure of the Commons in Latin America.” South Atlantic Quarterly, 114(1), 65-82.
- Vela Almeida, Diana (2020). “Extractivism.”
Resources
- “Colonial Dispossession and Extraction” by Dr Su-ming Khoo.
- Environmental Conflict Atlas.
- GARN -Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature.
- Pacto Ecosocial del Sur.
- Systemic Alternatives.
- Uneven Earth (glossary).
“Extractivism” broadly refers to the removal of great quantities of natural resources (hydrocarbons, minerals, or agricultural products) which are then exported and processed abroad. At the turn of the century, the global energy and commodity boom increased state dependency on extractivism and gave the concept new and broader meanings.
In this session, we will examine different approaches to the study of extractivism with a focus on social scientists working on and from Latin America, a region that has experienced a dramatic expansion of extractive projects with negative socio-ecological impacts.
With this regional focus, we can understand extractivism as a situated and yet global phenomenon, which has shaped the colonial-capitalist system and which is linked to different forms of state development, capitalist accumulation, spoilage, and resistance.
Moreover, by focusing on Latin America, we will learn how Indigenous, environmental, and feminist movements have not only contributed to the critical analysis of extractivism. They have also generated visions for post-extractive futures amidst environmental degradation and global warming.
Reading
- Acosta, Alberto (2013). “Extractivism and Neoextractivism: Two Sides of the Same Curse.”
- Gago, Verónica and Sandro Mezzadra (2017). “A Critique of the Extractive Operations of Capital: Toward an Expanded Concept of Extractivism.” Rethinking Marxism, 29(4), 574-591.
- Galeano, Eduardo (1997). Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. New york: Monthly Review Press.
- Gudynas, Eduardo (2010). “The New Extractivism of the 21st Century: Ten Urgent Theses about Extractivism in Relation to Current South American Progressivism.” Americas Program Report. Washington, DC: Center for International Policy.
- Riofrancos, Thea (2017). “Extractivismo Unearthed: A Genealogy of a Radical Discourse.” Cultural Studies, 31(2-3), 277-306.
- Svampa, Maristella (2015). “Commodities Consensus: Neoextractivism and Enclosure of the Commons in Latin America.” South Atlantic Quarterly, 114(1), 65-82.
- Vela Almeida, Diana (2020). “Extractivism.”
Resources
- “Colonial Dispossession and Extraction” by Dr Su-ming Khoo.
- Environmental Conflict Atlas.
- GARN -Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature.
- Pacto Ecosocial del Sur.
- Systemic Alternatives.
- Uneven Earth (glossary).