ABSTRACT
Latin American political movements, including the legal recognition of the rights and personhood of nature in Ecuador and Bolivia, have inspired social and ecological activism around the globe, even as the outcomes of these efforts remain uncertain. Chapters in this volume detail the ongoing political conflicts over the use and commodification of nonhuman life, including contests over water (Boelens) and land (Ojeda), with particular emphasis on conflicts related to extractive industries, plantation forestry projects, and conservation efforts (Fletcher; Perreault; Finley-Brook; Valdivia). Rather than focus on how nonhuman life shapes political struggles over resources, in this chapter we focus attention on the ways plants, animals, and other forms of nonhuman life garner political consideration or contribute to the reconstitution of the political.
