Collective occupations and nature: Impacts of the coloniality of nature on rural and fishing communities in Chile

Abstract

ABSTRACT This manuscript is a reflection about existing relationships among the domination processes of capitalism/colonialism/patriarchy and two collective occupations that take place in the Bio Bio Region, Chile. The first of these occupations is artisanal fishing in Tumbes Cove and the second is the harvesting of medicinal plants in the locality of Manco. Specifically, an attempt is made to discuss the impacts of the coloniality of nature and the actual possibilities for resistance provided by these collective occupations. For this purpose, a desk research with a decolonial perspective was conducted, using as analytical axes the categories of extractivism, technologization, and scientification, which correspond to the domination mechanisms of nature. The findings suggest that collective occupations are versatile, as in some cases this capacity produces decomposition and, in others, a naïve re-existence. The powers and mechanisms triggered by these responses on different collective occupations is a field that needs further study in order to formulate critical and transformative knowledge in occupational science, as well as the possibility of creating counterhegemonic practices for communities to resist the power exerted by domination processes. This article aims to enhance the relationship among occupations and nature, as well as the idea that collective occupations are forms of resistance and re-existence facing patriarchal-colonial-capitalism, thus contributing to decolonizing practices informed by occupational science.