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Article
Empire, Labor, and Environment: Coal Mining and Anticapitalist Environmentalism in the Americas
International Labor and Working-Class History (2014)
  • Avi Chomsky, Salem State University
Abstract
Latin American political movements linking traditional peasant values of subsistence with a leftist critique of imperialism are contributing to new forms of environmentalism there. While in the United States labor and environmental movements tend to operate within mainstream political and economic models based on privileging high levels of consumption and economic growth, Latin American voices are challenging both the global economic order and traditional concepts of economic development. From indigenous and peasant movements to leftist labor unions to political leaders, Latin Americans are calling for economic development that privileges the rights of rural peoples and their environments, and redistribution of resources domestically and globally. Yet they remain imbedded in an international economy based on extractivism and economic growth, which poses significant challenges to any alternative paths.
Disciplines
Publication Date
Spring 2014
Citation Information
Avi Chomsky. "Empire, Labor, and Environment: Coal Mining and Anticapitalist Environmentalism in the Americas" International Labor and Working-Class History Vol. 85 (2014) p. 194 - 200
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/avi-chomsky/6/