Political Ecology and contemporary social movements: Social reappropriation of land, territories and nature

Abstract

The historical-civilizing moment that we are now experiencing imposes new meanings on the crisis of capitalism as a systemic crisis. Scientists from various parts of the planet warn of the formation of so-called complex societies, in which, as the Earth's resources dwindle, on the one hand, the collapse is increasingly moving towards a real and immediate condition, on the other. In this sense, from popular movements to extreme right-wing movements, a series of theoretical-political and social claims to resolve the environmental crisis emerge, each with its own ecology. Without fear of pointing to the social logic of the collapse, it means that we are in decisive times. As part of a discussion that aims to contribute to approaches on the process of greening contemporary social struggles, this article analyzes the concepts of social metabolism and primitive accumulation, highlighting the theoretical contributions that combine efforts to find a path in Marx's work, reinforcing the links between marxism and ecology. Firstly, a complementary approach is taken to debates on primitive accumulation and metabolic rupture, as inseparable and continuous concepts configured in contemporary processes of preying on nature. Then, based on interdisciplinary and horizontal dialogues of knowledge, a theoretical-essayistic approach is made, highlighting the guidelines of peasant resistance in the praxis of social movements fighting for land, for territory and for the social reappropriation of nature, which is shown as real alternative to the environmental crisis caused by the capitalist exploitation of nature.