Socio-environmental Conflicts and Emergent Forms of Territorial Collectivity in a Coastal Zone in Southern Chile

Abstract

Among the recent citizen mobilizations in Chile, novel forms of social grouping for local environmental causes are observed. This study investigates three cases of emerging collectivity in the Reloncaví Sound and its surroundings (a coastal zone in southern Chile) that denounce the environmental and social degradation caused by industrial salmon farming, and the lack of mechanisms for citizen participation. Identity aspects, forms of organization, repertoires of contention, and territorial linkage are analyzed, constituting what we call territorial sensitivities. These collectivities, not confined solely to the cause, shared interests, or effects on institutions or public policy, exhibit various forms and scales of complexity. On the other hand, their socio-territorial basis endows them with a political-cultural density for social life in the territory, without needing to attribute to them the heavy burden of being a social movement.