The (post-)colonial history of Latin America is largely characterized by processes of land accumulation and commodification by small social elites at the expense of communal lands inhabited by indigenous and Afro-American groups. Several administrative and land reforms aimed at restoring local control over communal resources in the 20th century had no lasting effect or did not take sufficient account of local traditions and interests. Since the 1990s, however, in the context of global sustainability and climate change debates, indigenous and African American communities have had increasing success in defending their communal worldviews and practices amidst a new phase of land grabbing and extractivism.
The panel seeks to combine theoretical reflections and empirical case studies on how indigenous and African American cosmovisions and practices have been able to challenge traditional Western models of development and grapple with the ongoing limitations, contradictions and conflicts characterizing the regeneration of the commons in Latin America from the 20th century to the present day.
