PapersFlow Research Brief
Extractivism and Socioeconomic Issues
Research Guide
What is Extractivism and Socioeconomic Issues?
Extractivism and Socioeconomic Issues refers to the intersection of resource extraction practices, often termed neo-extractivism, with social inequities driven by global capitalism, neoliberalism, and their effects on health, education, environment, cultural identity, and social movements in regions like Latin America.
The field encompasses 11,102 papers examining extractivism's role in inequality, environmental conflicts, and public health crises. Key works address neo-extractivism under progressive governments in South America and its links to social movements and territorial defenses. Latin American perspectives dominate, highlighting conflicts between resource extraction and local livelihoods.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Neo-Extractivism in Latin America
This sub-topic examines the resurgence of resource extraction under progressive governments in Latin America, focusing on state-led models contrasting with neoliberal approaches. Researchers study its socioeconomic impacts, policy implementations, and conflicts with local communities.
Extractivism and Environmental Conflicts
This sub-topic investigates disputes arising from mining and resource extraction, including impacts on ecosystems and indigenous territories. Researchers analyze conflict dynamics, securitization strategies, and environmental justice movements.
Social Movements Against Extractivism
This sub-topic explores grassroots resistances, including territorial feminisms and indigenous mobilizations opposing extractive projects. Researchers examine movement strategies, state responses, and narrative formations.
Extractivism and Socioeconomic Inequality
This sub-topic analyzes how extractive economies exacerbate income disparities, regional imbalances, and social inequities. Researchers investigate distributional effects, elite capture, and compensatory state policies.
Governmental Extractivism and Policy Frameworks
This sub-topic covers state interventions in extractive industries, including legislation, nationalization, and control mechanisms. Researchers study policy ambivalences, securitization, and progressive governance tensions.
Why It Matters
Extractivism exacerbates socioeconomic divides by prioritizing commodity exports over local well-being, as seen in Peru and Colombia where mining control involves securitization and legislation that displace communities (Vélez‐Torres, 2014, "Governmental extractivism in Colombia: Legislation, securitization and the local settings of mining control"). In Mexico, three decades of neoliberalism have perverted representative democracy through fear, corruption, and impunity, increasing health vulnerabilities (Laurell, 2015, "Three Decades of Neoliberalism in Mexico"). Women's-led territorial feminisms in Latin America counter mining violence by defending life and territory, influencing social movements (Ulloa, 2016, "Feminismos territoriales en América Latina: defensas de la vida frente a los extractivismos"). These dynamics fuel environmental conflicts and shape political narratives, with 244 citations for Gudynas (2012) underscoring progressive governments' ambivalence in poverty reduction versus new extractivisms.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"Estado compensador y nuevos extractivismos. Las ambivalencias del progresismo sudamericano" by Gudynas (2012) as it provides a foundational analysis of progressive South American governments' advances in poverty reduction alongside extractivist tensions, cited 244 times.
Key Papers Explained
Gudynas (2012, "Estado compensador y nuevos extractivismos. Las ambivalencias del progresismo sudamericano") sets the stage for extractivism under progressivism, which Svampa (2012, "Resource Extractivism and Alternatives: Latin American Perspectives on Development") builds on by exploring development alternatives; Svampa (2019, "Neo-extractivism in Latin America: Socio-environmental Conflicts, the Territorial Turn, and New Political Narratives") advances this with eco-territorial conflict phases, linking to earlier works; Stokes (1995, "Cultures in ConflictSocial Movements and the State in Peru") complements by detailing Peru-specific movement-state dynamics; Ulloa (2016, "Feminismos territoriales en América Latina: defensas de la vida frente a los extractivismos") extends to gendered resistances.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Research centers on neo-extractivism's political dynamics and territorial turns in Latin America, with no recent preprints or news available; ongoing focus remains on Svampa's (2019) socio-environmental conflict escalation and Vélez‐Torres (2014) securitization models amid stable 11,102 works.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estado compensador y nuevos extractivismos. Las ambivalencias ... | 2012 | — | 244 | ✕ |
| 2 | Cultures in ConflictSocial Movements and the State in Peru | 1995 | — | 166 | ✕ |
| 3 | Feminismos territoriales en América Latina: defensas de la vid... | 2016 | Nómadas | 153 | ✓ |
| 4 | Resource Extractivism and Alternatives: Latin American Perspec... | 2012 | Journal für Entwicklun... | 135 | ✓ |
| 5 | Neo-extractivism in Latin America: Socio-environmental Conflic... | 2019 | Memoria Académica (Fac... | 117 | ✓ |
| 6 | Governmental extractivism in Colombia: Legislation, securitiza... | 2014 | Political Geography | 102 | ✕ |
| 7 | Néo-« développementisme » extractiviste, gouvernements et mouv... | 2011 | Problèmes d Amérique l... | 86 | ✕ |
| 8 | Minería transnacional, narrativas del desarrollo y resistencia... | 2010 | Editorial Biblos eBooks | 77 | ✕ |
| 9 | Three Decades of Neoliberalism in Mexico | 2015 | International Journal ... | 66 | ✕ |
| 10 | Capitalism hits the fan: the global economic meltdown and what... | 2010 | Choice Reviews Online | 60 | ✕ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is neo-extractivism in Latin America?
Neo-extractivism involves expanded resource extraction under progressive governments, linking to neoliberalism while promising poverty reduction through state activism (Gudynas, 2012, "Estado compensador y nuevos extractivismos. Las ambivalencias del progresismo sudamericano"). It escalates socio-environmental conflicts and prompts territorial turns in political narratives (Svampa, 2019, "Neo-extractivism in Latin America: Socio-environmental Conflicts, the Territorial Turn, and New Political Narratives"). Alternatives emphasize breaking dependence on primary exports (Svampa, 2012, "Resource Extractivism and Alternatives: Latin American Perspectives on Development").
How do social movements respond to extractivism?
Social movements in Peru form amid conflicts with the state, shaping class consciousness among urban poor through popular culture (Stokes, 1995, "Cultures in ConflictSocial Movements and the State in Peru"). Territorial feminisms led by women resist mining impacts on life and territory (Ulloa, 2016, "Feminismos territoriales en América Latina: defensas de la vida frente a los extractivismos"). Resistances challenge transnational mining narratives of development (Svampa and Antonelli, 2010, "Minería transnacional, narrativas del desarrollo y resistencias sociales").
What role does governmental policy play in extractivism?
In Colombia, governmental extractivism uses legislation and securitization to control mining locales (Vélez‐Torres, 2014, "Governmental extractivism in Colombia: Legislation, securitization and the local settings of mining control"). Progressive South American states show ambivalence, advancing poverty reduction yet enabling new extractivisms (Gudynas, 2012). Neo-developmentalist extractivism ties governments to social movements variably across Latin America (Svampa, 2011, "Néo-« développementisme » extractiviste, gouvernements et mouvements sociaux en Amérique latine").
What are the socioeconomic impacts of neoliberalism linked to extractivism?
Neoliberalism in Mexico over three decades has altered politics, economics, and society, perverting democracy via fear and corruption (Laurell, 2015, "Three Decades of Neoliberalism in Mexico"). It sustains extractivism's ties to global capitalism, affecting health and equity. Global economic meltdowns amplify these issues under capitalism ("Capitalism hits the fan: the global economic meltdown and what to do about it", 2010).
Which regions face the most extractivism conflicts?
Latin America, especially South America, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico, hosts major conflicts from neo-extractivism (Svampa, 2019). Progressive governance there balances state intervention with resource booms (Gudynas, 2012). Mining transnationally drives social resistances (Svampa and Antonelli, 2010).
Open Research Questions
- ? How do progressive governments reconcile poverty reduction with extractivist policies in South America?
- ? What territorial strategies can effectively counter socio-environmental conflicts from neo-extractivism?
- ? In what ways do women's movements reshape political narratives against mining violence?
- ? How does securitization in mining control perpetuate local socioeconomic inequities?
- ? What alternatives to resource extractivism can Latin American development models pursue?
Recent Trends
The field holds 11,102 papers with no specified 5-year growth rate; high citations persist for Latin American neo-extractivism analyses, led by Gudynas (2012, 244 citations) and Stokes (1995, 166 citations), with no recent preprints or news in the last 12 months indicating steady rather than accelerating publication.
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