Post-human Geographies in Chilean Patagonia: Intersections between Nature, Capital, and Desire. A Critical Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present and discuss some theoretical keys and possible lines of inquiry to address the culture-nature relations and the processes of production of space in Patagonia. In more specific terms, we take a critical approach to analyze these issues from a post-human perspective. That is, from the relationships and interactions between the various species and materialities (human and non-human) that make up the Chilean Patagonia. A central issue here is to collaborate in the maturation of new perspectives that allow us to imagine and design other possible futures with less socio-territorial inequalities for the region. Indeed, considering the current panorama where conservationist practices and discourses abound, it seems relevant to focus on the nature, capital, and desire plot. In this regard, we propose that the hegemonic practices of conservationism supported by different social valuations and State regulations tend to reinforce modern —anthropocentric— rationality and, ultimately, to appear as advanced and sophisticated forms of capital accumulation.