Autonomy as a politico‐economic concept: Peasant practices and nested markets

Jan Douwe van der Ploeg; Sergio Schneider

doi:10.1111/joac.12482

journal article Feb 17, 2022

Autonomy as a politico‐economic concept: Peasant practices and nested markets

Jan Douwe van der Ploeg Sergio Schneider

Journal of Agrarian Change Vol. 22 No. 3 pp. 529-546 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/joac.12482

Abstract

AbstractThis paper discusses autonomy as a set of practices that result in the production and reproduction of resources that allow for self‐organization. We define autonomy as a social construct that refers to the self‐organizing capacity of people, communities, and movements. Such capacity assumes both resources and agency. In that vein, our conceptualisation implies that autonomy is a relational concept: It can only emerge when and where struggles that aim at going beyond dependency (i.e., nonautonomy) concretely exist. Autonomy is three‐pronged, involving a set of goal‐oriented activities, a distantiation from capital, and the agency of social actors. Intertwined with these levels are peasant movements that have the capacity to develop and implement a political agenda that is not overshadowed and/or dictated by external influences. The paper illustrates this intertwining with the case of the Circuito (O Circuito), a Brazilian peasant movement that has constructed and operates an extended farmers' market and which simultaneously transforms farming practices. The Circuit is the outcome of collective action and shows the potential of multilevel performance of several actors engaged in concerted actions. In the conclusion, we suggest that the Circuit represents autonomy based on commonly pooled resources as well representing a countermovement to the destructive dynamics of food empires.

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Details

Published: Feb 17, 2022
Vol/Issue: 22(3)
Pages: 529-546
License: View

Authors

J

Jan Douwe van der Ploeg

Rural Sociology Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands; College of Humanities and Development Studies (COHD) China Agricultural University Beijing China

S

Sergio Schneider

Rural Development and Food Studies Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre Brazil

Funding

Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico

Fundacão de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul

Cite This Article

Jan Douwe van der Ploeg, Sergio Schneider (2022). Autonomy as a politico‐economic concept: Peasant practices and nested markets. Journal of Agrarian Change, 22(3), 529-546. https://doi.org/10.1111/joac.12482

Autonomy as a politico‐economic concept: Peasant practices and nested markets

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