Territories of Difference: the Political Ontology of the “Right to Territories”

Authors

  • Arturo Escobar Universidad de Carolina del Norte

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v35i0.43540

Keywords:

problematization of ‘national’ identities, problematization of life, political ontology of territories, other life models

Abstract

This presentation argues that the rights of indigenous people ,afro descendant and peasant communities to their territories can be seen in terms of two intertwined processes: the problematization of ‘national’ identities, with the concomitant emergence of indigenous, afro descendant, and peasant identities; and the problematization of life, with reference to the biodiversity crisis , climate change, and the intensification of environmental destruction by extractive industries. Both processes converge in the territorial conceptualizations and practices maintained by communities and their ethno-territorial organizations in many parts of the world.   The paper develops a framework for the political ontology of territories.  By interrupting the globalizing project of constructing One-world (capitalist, liberal, secular), many indigenous, afro-descendant, and peasant communities may be seen as engaged in ontological struggles, that is, involving other life models.   These struggles can be interpreted as important contributions to ecological and cultural transitions towards a world many world fit (the pluriverse). The argument is illustrated with the case of afro descendant struggles in the Colombian Pacific region, particularly their reframing and radicalization of territorial struggles against the armed, developmentalist, and extractivist onslaught of the past ten years.

Published

2015-12-24

How to Cite

Escobar, A. (2015). Territories of Difference: the Political Ontology of the “Right to Territories”. Desenvolvimento E Meio Ambiente, 35. https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v35i0.43540

Issue

Section

Dossier: Pensamento ambiental latino-americano: movimentos sociais e territórios de vida