Article by Carla Noever Castelos: How does the new enter the world? On the prefiguration of a post-extractivist future

From the editorial of PROKLA 219: In her article, Carla Noever Castelos addresses the question of how a transformation towards a post-extractivist future can succeed. She places the importance of "prefigurative practices" at the center of her analysis. In contrast to state-centered approaches to transformation, prefiguration stands for the experimental testing of desired future ways of relating in the here and now. Using the example of various anti-lithium initiatives in the Spanish province of Extremadura, she traces how socio-ecological movements drive the construction of horizontal institutions as well as democratic and caring subjectivities. Prefigurative practices thus represent an important basis for post-extractivist transformations. However, these practices are limited in their impact, as they are often inward-looking and thus do not aim to transform state institutions. Carla Noever Castelos therefore concludes with the outlook that it will be a central challenge for future movements to successfully shift the boundary between the internal development and testing of radical alternatives and the broader impact on the state and institutions.

More information at: https://prokla.de/index.php/PROKLA/article/view/2185