The Politics of Extraction: Territorial Rights, Participatory Institutions, and Conflict in Latin America

Latin America's mining and hydrocarbon production have surged in recent decades, leading to conflicts between communities, companies, and the state. Maiah Jaskoski's book "The Politics of Extraction" examines how mobilized communities use participatory institutions to challenge extraction, finding that communities select their strategies in response to the specific challenges they confront.

Format: Hardback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 14 October 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Latin America's mining and hydrocarbon production are of critical importance to extractive companies, communities in resource-rich areas, and governments. These sectors have experienced significant growth in recent decades, driven by global commodity price increases and liberal economic policies. This expansion has led to increased commitment from private investors and governments in the region to extraction, as well as growing concerns among local communities about the environmental, cultural, and social impacts of mining and hydrocarbons. Activists have also mobilized to demand material benefits, such as royalty distributions and direct company investment in local services and infrastructure. These conflicts have taken various forms, including legal battles, large-scale protests, and standoffs that pit communities against companies and the state. They have resulted in production suspensions, political destabilization, and the expenditure of state security resources.

In her book "The Politics of Extraction," Maiah Jaskoski examines how mobilized communities in Latin America's hydrocarbon and mining regions use participatory institutions to challenge extraction. Jaskoski analyzes thirty major extractive conflicts in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru in the 2000s and 2010s to understand how communities use public hearings, state-led prior consultation with native communities, and local popular consultations or referenda as focal points in the escalation of conflict.

One of the key findings of Jaskoski's research is that communities select their strategies in response to the specific participatory challenges they confront. For example, communities in areas with high levels of environmental degradation may prioritize public hearings as a way to raise awareness about the impacts of extraction and to hold companies accountable. In contrast, communities in areas with strong cultural and social traditions may organize around or in reaction to existing participatory institutions, using them as focal points in the escalation of conflict.

Another important aspect of Jaskoski's analysis is the role of state-led prior consultation with native communities affected by large-scale development. She argues that while these processes can be useful in ensuring that communities are aware of the potential impacts of extraction, they can also be used as tools to legitimize the extraction of resources. For example, state-led prior consultation can be used to exclude communities from decision-making processes or to undermine their claims to land and resources.

Local popular consultations or referenda are also important tools for challenging extraction. These processes allow communities to directly participate in decision-making processes about the development of their resources. They can provide a platform for communities to voice their concerns and to demand accountability from companies and the state. However, these processes can also be vulnerable to manipulation by political interests and can be undermined by the power of companies and the state.

Overall, Jaskoski's book provides valuable insights into how mobilized communities in Latin America's hydrocarbon and mining regions use participatory institutions to challenge extraction. Her research highlights the importance of recognizing the diverse strategies that communities use to protect their resources and to ensure that they are not marginalized or excluded from decision-making processes. It also emphasizes the need for greater accountability and transparency from companies and the state, as well as for the recognition of the rights and interests of indigenous communities.

Weight: 572g
Dimension: 163 x 243 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197568927