A review of some of the central ideas being discussed in a process of energy transitions towards Good Living for the Andean regions and the neighbouring Amazonian areas. It is an exercise in proposing post-carbon and post-extractivist societies based on sensibilities that seek to get out of the trap of conventional ideas of development, and […]
by Eduardo Gudynas – Weeks ago I shared some reflections on how some governments and progressive intellectuals who take ideas from the Global left, and use their limitations or deform them. It is a “friendly colonialism” because it allows them to maintain a leftist rhetoric while leaving their contradictions in the background (1). The use […]
by Eduardo Gudynas – It is slowly becoming evident that today’s extractivism [economy based upon the extraction and export of natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals] is advancing in a context of increasing violence. This is not an exaggeration: distinct forms of violence are being employed to impose and protect extractivism, a situation […]
by Eduardo Gudynas – Latin American progressive governments like citing Harvey’s work because it allows them to position themselves against global capitalism while glossing over the contradictions of their own extractivist policies. One of the most striking issues in the critiques of capitalism coming from Latin America are the continuous invocations of the English geographer […]
by Eduardo Gudynas – As ideas about development are so deeply rooted, attempts to seek alternatives are almost like swimming against the prevailing cultural current. To effectively pursue these alternatives, radical changes are necessary from the source. Instead of quoting Marx or Lenin, I consider more appropriate to draw inspiration from an old word of […]
An heterodox guide to the debates on development and its alternatives in the continent. A review of some of the main schools of thought in which the problem of development and alternatives to it have been addressed. In particular, those postures that seem to have been the most influential in Latin America, especially when they […]
Extractivisms are one of the main features in dominant development strategies in Latin America. Eduardo Gudynas (CLAES), presents the “post-extractivist” proposals that are being discussed in the region. Is an exploration in what is called “transitions” to another development, or “transitions to Buen Vivir.” Chapter in the book Beyond Development. Alternative visions from Latin America, […]
by Eduardo Gudynas – Experts in some parts of the world believe that globalization has stalled. For example, the prominent Spanish journalist, Ignacio Ramonet, argues that the “course of globalization appears to be suspended”. Based on inconformity in certain European countries, he affirms that more and more people are speaking of “de-globalization”(1). I think this […]
by David Hill – After the collapse of a groundbreaking attempt to protect the Yasuni National Park, Chinese companies could be ready to drill for oil. The announcement by Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa, that he has abandoned a ground-breaking scheme stopping oil operations in the Amazon has led to a wave of protests across the […]
by Eduardo Gudynas – When Evo Morales’s Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) gained control of Bolivia’s government, it unleashed expectations of structural changes on several fronts, from the reform of the state to a new constitution, from new economic regulations to the direct political participation of indigenous and campesino organizations. The notable initial changes and the […]