Environmental conflicts and ecological citizenshipthe case of Gualeguaychú and the pulp mills
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Universitat de València
info
ISSN: 0213-3563
Argitalpen urtea: 2019
Zenbakien izenburua: Ecoética y ecopolítica
Zenbakia: 21
Orrialdeak: 77-102
Mota: Artikulua
Beste argitalpen batzuk: Azafea: revista de filosofía
Laburpena
This article deals with interactions between citizenship and political ecology by examining the ‘pulp mills conflict’ in Gualeguaychú, Argentina. The conflict burst in 2003 when the Uruguayan authorities announced the construction of a cellulose plant on the shore of the Uruguay River. The citizens of Gualeguaychú, a city right across the border, initiated a movement of protest that soon transcended the local dimension. I argue that this protest was a battle over sovereignty and an environmental conflict between different conceptions of development and diverse views of the use of a common resource, the river. The notion of ecological citizenship formed in this process is assessed by examining how this concept was constructed by local stakeholders and by unveiling the motivations informing citizens’ engagement.