Landscape commons, following wind power fault lines. The case of Seine-et-Marne (France)

Abstract

Our contribution aims at adding to the understanding of opposition to wind power. We follow the progressive emergence and structuring of a so-called “opponent” network to a highly conflictual wind power project (Seine-et-Marne, Parisian basin, France), paying particular attention to the shared landscape resources engaged in the development of this project.The paper draws on various strands of literature interested in landscape as a socio-material assemblage, a commons as a collective management of shared resources, and issues such as a political articulation of matters of public concern.Our case study suggests that local opposition to wind power is symptomatic of the shortcomings of French institutions’ treatment of the shared resources engaged in the development of wind power projects. So-called “opponents” to wind power are not opponents per se. Rather, opposition arises from the tension exerted by (French, privately developed) wind power with respect to shared (relational, landscape) resources. Thus opposition and landscape issues in relation to wind power can just as well be regarded as demands to recognize the necessary collective underpinnings of wind power projects.