A diverse Geography of Small-Scale Fishing in the Face of Capitalist Expansion over the Ocean.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46661/rec.12263Keywords:
artisanal fishing, places, heterodox economies, diverse economiesAbstract
The advance of capitalism and its dynamic of accumulation by dispossession have placed artisanal fishing at a crossroads: whether to integrate into a development model based on growth and the intensive exploitation of marine resources. This process draws a physical and symbolic “abyssal line” that separates geographies recognized by hegemonic economic development from those that are not. The latter, such as traditional fishing, remain invisible due to their slower work pace, ecological values, and subsistence culture, which contrast with the dominant growth model. Based on the analysis of four fishing communities in Chile —Ventanas, Horcón, Loncura, and Higuerillas— this study shows that the spatiality of subsistence economies in artisanal fishing is rooted in an ecosystem integrated with artisanal practices, a distinct ecological and economic toponymy, and a broader appropriation of the coastal space that exceeds administrative boundaries. This spatiality, in addition to being heterodox and an alternative to the capitalist growth model, provides sustainability strategies that conceive livelihoods from a more holistic perspective, distancing themselves from a purely productivist vision.
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