Territories in contestation: relational power in Latin America
Situated in geography’s recent territorial (re)turn, and drawing on Latin American theory and research, this paper examines the relational and contested nature of territories and territorial praxis. Engaging with contemporary literatures, we note the centrality of power to territory. However, as we...
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| Format: | Article |
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Taylor & Francis
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40597/ |
| _version_ | 1848796095034949632 |
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| author | Clare, Nick Habermehl, Victoria Mason-Deese, Liz |
| author_facet | Clare, Nick Habermehl, Victoria Mason-Deese, Liz |
| author_sort | Clare, Nick |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Situated in geography’s recent territorial (re)turn, and drawing on Latin American theory and research, this paper examines the relational and contested nature of territories and territorial praxis. Engaging with contemporary literatures, we note the centrality of power to territory. However, as we explore in this paper, many analyses of power are too simplistic, with a latent attachment to sovereignty which can marginalise counter-hegemonic territorial politics. To combat this we explore two conceptions of power, as found in open and autonomist Marxism – poder (understood as power over) and potencia (understood as power to) – and how they function territorially. While such an understanding of power frames the complex production of territories, it is important to also reflect on how movements intervene in producing their own territories. Accordingly, the paper examines the territorial struggles of the Zapatistas, and, drawing from original research, explores how territorial ideas operate in everyday contexts in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Across these examples the paper illustrates the potential of ‘territories in resistance’, but also engages in how these are also contested. Led by our cases we emphasise the relational and contested construction of territory, ultimately developing a more nuanced understanding of territory and territorial praxis. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:42:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-40597 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:42:32Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-405972020-05-04T18:36:12Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40597/ Territories in contestation: relational power in Latin America Clare, Nick Habermehl, Victoria Mason-Deese, Liz Situated in geography’s recent territorial (re)turn, and drawing on Latin American theory and research, this paper examines the relational and contested nature of territories and territorial praxis. Engaging with contemporary literatures, we note the centrality of power to territory. However, as we explore in this paper, many analyses of power are too simplistic, with a latent attachment to sovereignty which can marginalise counter-hegemonic territorial politics. To combat this we explore two conceptions of power, as found in open and autonomist Marxism – poder (understood as power over) and potencia (understood as power to) – and how they function territorially. While such an understanding of power frames the complex production of territories, it is important to also reflect on how movements intervene in producing their own territories. Accordingly, the paper examines the territorial struggles of the Zapatistas, and, drawing from original research, explores how territorial ideas operate in everyday contexts in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Across these examples the paper illustrates the potential of ‘territories in resistance’, but also engages in how these are also contested. Led by our cases we emphasise the relational and contested construction of territory, ultimately developing a more nuanced understanding of territory and territorial praxis. Taylor & Francis 2017-03-03 Article PeerReviewed Clare, Nick, Habermehl, Victoria and Mason-Deese, Liz (2017) Territories in contestation: relational power in Latin America. Territory, Politics, Governance . ISSN 2162-268X territory power Buenos Aires Latin America social movements poder/potencia http://rsa.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/21622671.2017.1294989 doi:10.1080/21622671.2017.1294989 doi:10.1080/21622671.2017.1294989 |
| spellingShingle | territory power Buenos Aires Latin America social movements poder/potencia Clare, Nick Habermehl, Victoria Mason-Deese, Liz Territories in contestation: relational power in Latin America |
| title | Territories in contestation: relational power in Latin America |
| title_full | Territories in contestation: relational power in Latin America |
| title_fullStr | Territories in contestation: relational power in Latin America |
| title_full_unstemmed | Territories in contestation: relational power in Latin America |
| title_short | Territories in contestation: relational power in Latin America |
| title_sort | territories in contestation: relational power in latin america |
| topic | territory power Buenos Aires Latin America social movements poder/potencia |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40597/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40597/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40597/ |