Extractivism and Neo-extractivism

Abstract

Neo-extractivism is an analytical category born in Latin America that has a great descriptive and explanatory power, as well as a denunciatory character and a strong mobilizing power. This refers to a way of appropriating nature and a development model based on the over-exploitation of natural goods, largely non-renewable, characterized by its large scale and its orientation towards exports, as well as by the vertiginous expansion of the borders of exploitation towards new territories, which were previously considered unproductive or not valued by capital. While extractivism is part of the long history of the continent and its struggles, in its updated form in the twenty-first century, it brings new dimensions at different levels. This chapter shows how Neo-extractivism provides a privileged window to grasp the different dimensions of the current crisis, identifying different phases that visibilise the struggles' recurring dynamics.