Globalization and the Commons of Rural Communities: A Case from Chile

Abstract

From pages 2-3: "The purpose of this study is to explore the difficulties that the globalization concept might present when applied to particular cases like to two examples of the institution of the commons through a commune of Chiles semi-arid Norte Chico. Taking as a starting point some of the issues formulated by the Biennial, I have chosen as an empirical case the Canela commune, where the institution of the commons predominates, side by side with private large landed states. From this commune I analyse three regional processes to illustrate some of the difficulties that can appear when applying the concept of globalization: (1) the legal recognition of the agricultural communities and (2) the conversion of former latifundia land into a sort of common property. Can we consider the recognition, and later on, the expansion of the institution of the commons in the middle of the expansion of market economy in the rural areas, as expressions of the process of globalization, or are they the result of internal political processes perhaps resulting of the understanding of the importance of the geographical environment upon the development of the communal form in the region? (3) Migration within the communities -- at what point in time does emigration becomes an expression of globalization?"