Black Communities on the Colombian Pacific Coast and the 'Aquatic Space': a Spatial Approach to Social Movement Theory
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Black Communities on the Colombian Pacific Coast and the ‘Aquatic Space’: A Spatial Approach to Social Movement Theory Ulrich Oslender Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) to the University of Glasgow, Faculty of Social Science, Department of Geography and Topographic Science July 20Q1 © ULRICH OSLENDER, 2001 ProQuest Number: 13818984 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 13818984 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 (GLASGOW 1 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: , I Z l X 'C o f - i Abstract Spatial insights into the workings of social movements have received little attention in established social movement theory so far. Emphasis is usually placed on the temporal dimensions of social change, and most accounts of social movements examine only briefly the particular worldly place out of which a given movement emerges, before the more ‘serious’ analysis focuses on the movement structures and how it is inscribed in the wider global changes of history. This thesis argues that an approach to social movements via their specific geographies or, more analytically, their spatialities provides a deeper understanding of both a movement’s particularity ‘on the ground’, and the ways in which social movement agency is articulated across different scales from the local to the global. Through a genealogy of spatial theorising it is shown how ‘space’ and ‘place’ matter in social movement theory and research. A place perspective is then offered on the social movement of black communities on Colombia’s Pacific coast that has mobilised in the wake of the new Constitution of 1991 in the form of ethnic-territorial organisations that defend their rights to cultural difference as intrinsically linked to territorial control. Focusing less on the social movement structuresper se than on the ‘pre-geographies’ or ‘soils’ out of which social movement agency emerges, this thesis advocates an ethnographic cultural geography and applies thick description and the voices of local people on the Colombian Pacific coast to unlock the ‘aquatic sense of place’ among rural black populations in this region. The ‘aquatic space’ as a particular set of spatialised social relationships in the Pacific lowlands is then examined and the ways in which it has been instrumental in the organising structures of rural black communities into community councils along river basins. These processes are further examined in the light of capitalist and state interventions that frequently mediate them, thus creating complex interactions between ethnic social movements, the state and capital. The thesis concludes by arguing that such a place perspective on social movements, drawing onboth resource-mobilisation theories and identity-oriented perspectives and grounding them in space, provides deeper insights into the workings of social movements than established social movement theory. Contents List o f Figures, Tables and Photographical Illustrations iv Acknowledgements v Chapter 1 Geography, social movements, black communities and Colombian labyrinths: but what exactly is this PhD all about? 1 Chapter 2 Social movement theories: a literature review and critique with particular reference to Latin America 19 Chapter 3 Spatialising resistance: perspectives on ‘space’ and ‘place’ in social movement research 44 Chapter 4 Methodology 78 Chapter 5 Meandering poetics: oral tradition as conveyor of an ‘ aquatic sense of place ’ 121 Chapter 6 Location and locale: life in a tropical rain forest 155 Chapter 7 The aquatic space in a new political context: enter the community councils 209 Chapter 8 The formation, ideals and practices of the community councils 235 Chapter 9 Conclusions 283 Appendix 1 : Glossary 294 Appendix 2\ List of Abbreviations and Acronyms 297 Bibliography 299 iii List of Figures, Tables and Photographical Illustrations Figures page 1.1 Map of Colombia 5 5.1 Map of Guapi and surrounding rivers 134 6.1 Map of the Pacific Lowlands 159 6.2 Mental Map of the River Atrato 192 Tables 2.1 Marxism and post-Marxism: class or identity? 27 4.1 Guapi, population data 105 Photographical Illustrations Meeting of young people of the rivers Napi and Guajui 107 San Antonio de Guajui 107 Dona Celia Lucumi Caicedo 128 A‘fluvial messenger’: little girl inpotrillo 128 ‘Balsada’ in homage toLa Purisima, Guapi’s patron saint 151 Procession through the streets of Guapi in honour of theVirgen del Carmen 151 Aerial photograph of the Southern Pacific coastline around Guapi 158 Mangrove forest at low tide 158 Airport ‘Julio Arboleda’ in Guapi 173 House construction along the river banks; river Guapi 180 Landing steps at Guapi: the river as ‘space of social interaction’ 190 Basketball pitch on the banks of the river Timbiqui in Santa Barbara 190 Social cartography workshop on the island of Gorgona 252 workshop on local history; Vuelta Larga, Narino 252 iv Acknowledgements Sometimes I remember a book by its acknowledgements. Surely not a great compliment to its deeper intellectual impact it has had on me, it may seem, but I like to read or flick through a book’s acknowledgement section, as if it somehow revealed thefeelings with which the book was written. Now writing the acknowledgements to this thesis myself, I appreciate the gratifying experience of ‘re-living’ the process of research and writing of the last nearly four years, with people, friends and memories popping in and out of my mind. I loved this process, and I have come to love a great many people on the way; yet I shouldn’t let this section become an emotional drain, but give it some ‘structured coherence’ worthy of this thesis. Of course, as I am writing these lines, it becomes obvious that my thoughts are drifting along the hot and humid shores of the rivers on Colombia’s Pacific coast, picking up fragments of myself on the way, as I am nurturing these faraway thoughts, now back in Glasgow with the essential spirits of my botella curada. It is impossible, of course, to thank each and everybody who has accompanied me at different stages on this voyage of enquiry, curiosity, fascination and desperation. A collective thank you to my family, friends and colleagues who provided support and advice throughout this period. Yet, there are some people to whom I would like to offer a special word of thanks (and apologies to those who I may unjustifiably omit to mention). In Glasgow I would like to thank first and foremost my two supervisors Paul and Chris in the Department of Geography who have guided me on the ways of intellectual enquiry into the geographies of social movements. Thanks for a ’ that , for the many inspiring meetings we have had and for your tremendous trust and patience with the more ‘unusual’ requests of mine, especially regarding my longer absences ‘furth of Glasgow’. I also want to thank Stella in the department for holding up the lantern for Latin America at CLAR, and for her much appreciated information on the ESRC postdoctorate fellowship scheme that I shall embark upon, unless this thing here goes terribly wrong in the last minute. Thanks to everyone in the department who in one way or another helped me along the way, especially to Keith for the positive vibes, Brian for being there when needed, Amy and Moira for their smiles in the morning, Gesa and Karin for the ‘German contingent’ (ja, ja, nur weiter so!), don Arturo and Prof Ian for their dignity, and all my other office mates who at some time or another had to put up with my tantrums, which for some reason always burst out in German. A special mention goes to Doug whose dreams were so tragically cut short. Colombia has changed my life in so many ways. A country of an astonishing variety of ecosystems and cultures, its people’s exuberant vitality seems in such stark contrast with the atrocious violence of the ‘internal armed conflict’.Que Eleggua les abra el camino a la paz con justicia! I am grateful to Colombia for the people’s wonderful hospitality which simply left me awe-struck on so many occasions, such as on that night in the remote Sierra Nevada del Cocuy when I had mis-calculated my hiking abilities and arrived at nightfall at a poor peasant’s home, only for him to build me a bed offrailejon tree trunks in his house within half an hour. What a lesson in humanity! Thanks to everyone who opened their doors for me! In Bogota very special thanks to everyone at the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History ICANH, where I was based during my field work and part of the writing-up process, for their good spirits and tremendous support, la Toya for having this germanoparlante around, Pardo for hisproyectos, Eduardo for all thetinto and the always challenging chat, Emiro for all the almuerzos compartidos , Te petit’ Nicolas for his publishing zeal, Franz el diferente for being precisely that, Alvaro for his finca, las muchachas de la biblioteca Sandra y Mireya, and Jose Luis for looking after this spectacular building in Bogota’s colonial quarters of La Candelaria. Many thanks also to my good friend David at Blanco Travel for always having a flight at hand when needed (suerte siempre, colega!).