Researching inequalities from a socio-ecological perspective

The inequality implications of nature exploitation, utilitarian representations of nature and processes of (global) environmental change are substantial. In Latin America social inequalities are historically rooted in unequal allocation systems of land rights or mining rents. Current investments in natural resources or elements thereof tend to generate new or reinforce existing patterns of inequality. Despite these evidences and despite the increasing recognition of the social dimensions of environmental change, linking the analysis of social inequalities with (global) environmental change, politics and forms of nature appropriation and production is still incipient. Based on first empirical findings from the Research Network on Interdependent Inequalities in Latin America (desiguALdes.net) the aim of this paper is to draw conclusions on how inequalities can be researched through the lens of societal nature relations. The paper reveals ways to theoretically conceptualize and analytically understand social inequalities as historically rooted expressions of contingent spatio-temporal societal nature relations, taking different research fields and social theories as points of departure. The key fields addressed are environmental justice, political ecology and social and cultural anthropology. In addition, core analytical categories such as time, space and physical materiality are introduced in order to show how they operate in empirical analysis. The paper concludes with a summary of the main findings

actors and strategies in conflicts over mining

This article focuses on the question of how the worldwide emergence of conflicts over mining, and particularly in Latin America, can be explained. It aims at systematizing contemporary conflicts over mining. Based on existing case studies and our own research in Colombia, it investigates the issues at stake in conflicts over largescale mining, the strategies which local actors apply, and the factors influencing their actions. The analysis combines theoretical concepts from the study of contentious politics with concepts from spatial theory. The empirical examples demonstrate that conflicts over mining are embedded in overriding processes of transformation in which global processes (the resource boom) come together with national politics and the symbolic and material meaning of specific locations. Political opportunity structures – political programs, institutions, laws, regulations, changes in government and regimes – are pivotal for local conflicts. Protest actors search for allies, responsibilities and solutions on the local, national, or transnational scale. An important characteristic of conflicts over mining is the particular meaning of specific places. This is shaped by the physical- material existence of resource deposits and at the same time by various cultural attributions. In this article, it is demonstrated that both these dimensions of place are relevant to the demands and strategies of collective actors

Mit Bürger_innenentscheiden gegen Bergbau und Fracking

Dieses Paper analysiert den Einsatz direktdemokratischer Instrumente in Konflikten um Bergbau und Fracking. Unter welchen Bedingungen greifen Protestgruppen zu diesen Instrumenten und wie setzen sie diese ein? Was sind die Erfolgsbedingungen? Dazu definiert es zunächst den Begriff „direkte Demokratie“ und erklärt die wichtigsten Instrumente. Darauf folgt ein kurzer Überblick über Rohstoffabbau und direktdemokratische Entscheidungsverfahren in den Ländern, deren Bürger_innen Referenden besonders oft nutzen, um Bergbau- und Bohrprojekte zu stoppen. Vier Fälle werden genauer betrachtet. Die Ergebnisse der Analyse und ein Ausblick auf weitere Forschungsfragen schließen das Paper ab

Concepts, Theories and Empirical Evidence

This course offers insights into the dynamics and outcomes of current social conflicts over extractivism in Latin America (particularly in the Andean region). It is structured as follows: Firstly, it will present some conceptual and theoretical insights related to the study of social conflicts in general and conflicts over nature in particular. Then it will proceed to an analysis of current conflicts over extractivism in Latin America: the different types, causes, processes of mobilization and organization-building, structural factors that shape them and outcomes. Each session contains recommendations for preparatory reading

Field of Conflict: Ein relationaler Ansatz zur Analyse von Konflikten um Land

In diesem Beitrag wird ein Analyserahmen entworfen, um Konflikte um Land, die im Zusammenhang mit strukturellen Transformationsprozessen und Krisen stehen, der empirischen Untersuchung zugänglich zu machen. Basierend auf einem handlungsorientierten Konfliktbegriff und Bourdieus Feldbegriff wird das Konfliktfeld (field of conflict) als Analyserahmen vorgeschlagen. Ziel ist es, vereinfachende Ursache- Wirkungserklärungen, die Konflikte um Land als ‚lokale‘ Reaktionen auf ‚globale‘ Krisen fassen, zu überwinden. Das Konfliktfeld besteht aus vier relational aufeinander bezogenen Elementen: Strukturveränderungen; Akteure und ihren Positionen im Feld; der Rolle des Staates und den durch staatliches Handeln definierten Regeln, die das Konfliktfeld kennzeichnen und ihm seine je eigene Logik verleihen; Narrative, mittels derer Akteure Veränderungen Bedeutung zuweisen und dominante Bedeutungen herausfordern.In this paper, a framework is developed to empirically analyse conflicts over land in the context of structural transformation and crises. This framework aims to overcome the trap of a dichotomous and hierarchical construction of ‘local’ conflicts resulting from ‘global’ crises. Building on Bourdieu’s concept of the field and on an actor oriented concept of conflict, the field of conflict as an analytical heuristic is suggested. It is constituted by four interrelated elements: structural changes; actors and their positions in the field; the relationship of the field of conflict to the state; and the narratives with which actors ascribe meanings to structural shifts

Contested extractivism: actors and strategies in conflicts over mining

This article focuses on the question of how the worldwide emergence of conflicts over mining, and particularly in Latin America, can be explained. It aims at systematizing contemporary conflicts over mining. Based on existing case studies and our own research in Colombia, it investigates the issues at stake in conflicts over largescale mining, the strategies which local actors apply, and the factors influencing their actions. The analysis combines theoretical concepts from the study of contentious politics with concepts from spatial theory. The empirical examples demonstrate that conflicts over mining are embedded in overriding processes of transformation in which global processes (the resource boom) come together with national politics and the symbolic and material meaning of specific locations. Political opportunity structures – political programs, institutions, laws, regulations, changes in government and regimes – are pivotal for local conflicts. Protest actors search for allies, responsibilities and solutions on the local, national, or transnational scale. An important characteristic of conflicts over mining is the particular meaning of specific places. This is shaped by the physical-material existence of resource deposits and at the same time by various cultural attributions. In this article, it is demonstrated that both these dimensions of place are relevant to the demands and strategies of collective actors

Neural correlates of intrusion of emotion words in a modified Stroop task

Behavioural studies have demonstrated that the emotional Stroop task is a valuable tool for investigating emotion-attention interactions in a variety of healthy and clinical populations, showing that participants are typically more distracted by negative stimuli as compared to neutral or positive stimuli. The main aim of this study was to find and examine the neural correlates of this greater intrusion from negative emotional stimuli. Reliable reaction time (RT) and event-related potential (ER-P) data were collected from 23 participants who performed a manual emotional Stroop, task with short (40 ins) and long (500 ms) inter-trial intervals. In the short interval condition, participants were found to produce longer RTs for negative than neutral words, suggesting that these stimuli were more difficult to ignore. This RT effect disappeared in the long interval condition, although larger PI amplitudes were found for the negative words. This suggests that differences in early attention allocation may be unrelated to the degree of intrusion at the behavioural level. In addition, a larger negative slow wave around 300-700 ms post-stimulus was observed in the long interval condition, but only for those negative words that produced prolonged RTs as compared to their matched controls. This late and broadly distributed effect is believed to reflect suppression of meaning representations

Gender, Nature, Body – Ecological Crises and Conflicts over Nature from Feminist Perspectives

This course offers insights into a variety of feminist approaches and theories related to the interlinkages between gender, environment, ecological crises and conflicts over land and nature. Students will become familiar with the history of academic debates in the area in general as well as with debates in Latin America in specific. Furthermore, they will learn how those theoretical perspectives can challenge hegemonic views on current ecological crises in a variety of empirical areas, such as mining, land, water, climate and care work