PAISAJES DE LA DESPOSESIÓN: ESCENAS METROPOLITANAS

escenas metropolitanas

Abstract

Since the onset of globalization and the era of “discovery,” capitalist accumulation has consistently relied on “non-capitalist” spaces, subjugating them economically, socially, and culturally to create colonial territories. This paper aims to demonstrate that this fundamental mechanism—exploiting spaces seemingly outside the logic of capital—was not limited to colonialism or imperialism. Instead, it continues to operate under neoliberal capitalism today, manifesting across all scales, including within metropolitan areas. In these areas, central spaces where investment and accumulation opportunities are most concentrated exploit peripheral zones, displacing activities and residents deemed undesirable in the centre.

The argument is made that capitalism, as it exists today, would be unthinkable without its colonial past. Likewise, the present structure and economic functions of metropolitan centers could not have developed without the historical existence of peripheral spaces subjected to their needs. To illustrate this, the paper revisits the concept of primitive accumulation, defines the notion of “landscapes of dispossession,” and provides examples of these landscapes within contemporary metropolitan areas.