Addressing extractivism related to water in Latin America: towards the definition of a multifaceted contemporary socio-political phenomenon

Abstract

Based on fieldwork in various countries, particularly in Mexico and Central America, this article describes the changes in the concept of extractivism from a sustainability proposal in Brazil from 1970 to 1980 to a series of disturbing events that reflect profound environmental, social, political and economical contradictions. The paper provides an approach to extractivism in Latin America as a dynamic socio-political process related to natural resources and focuses on four interrelated components: actors, processes, extracted resources and local responses. It also discusses the contributions of Latin American literature and proposes a broader definition that makes is possible to place the socio-political components derived from its disputed, controversial and highly conflictive nature at the heart of the phenomenon. Lastly, it expands the definition of contemporary extractivism to water in the region, a topic that has barely been addressed in the current literature.