Category Archives: Political Economy

Grassroots Masquerades: Development, Paramilitaries, and Land Laundering in Colombia

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Teo Ballvé

My article “Grassroots Masquerades: Development, Paramilitaries, and Land Laundering” was just published by Geoforum. The article will be out in hardcopy in Volume 50 (December 2013), but it’s already available online. The first version of the article was presented at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Development, Drugs, Forests, Frontiers, Illegality, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Land, Law, Michel Foucault, Peace, Political Ecology, Political Economy, Primitive Accumulation, The State | Comments Off

Interview: Mass Protests Rock Colombia

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Teo Ballvé

As mass protests in Colombia entered into their tenth day yesterday, I was interviewed by KPFA about the mobilizations that continue spreading throughout the country. Negotiations between the government and protest leaders continue. What began as a strike by peasants … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Development, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Land, Media, Peace, Political Ecology, Political Economy, Primitive Accumulation, Violence | 4 Comments

Colombia’s Peace Talks: Independent Republics or Peasant Territories?

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Teo Ballvé

After five months, the Colombian government peace negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Havana are still on the first—and most complicated—item of their five-point negotiating agenda: the restructuring of rural development. Things are moving slowly but … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Development, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Land, Law, Peace, Political Ecology, Political Economy, Security, Sovereignty, Spatiality, Territory, The State | 4 Comments

Hugo Chávez’s legacy: A more independent Latin America

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Teo Ballvé

My column on Chávez’s death published in McClatchy-Tribune newspapers: Hugo Chavez proved that Venezuela and the rest of Latin America could chart an independent path in the world. The Venezuelan leader, who died on March 5, often assumed the role … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Political Economy, Sovereignty | Comments Off

Narco-Geographies, Part III: Urban Speculation and Spectacle

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Teo Ballvé

(Final post in a three-part series, Part I, Part II) The policies that have made Panama into a commercial and financial global entrepôt have also made this small country into an ideal beachhead for entrepreneurial narcotraffickers. The seemingly ethereal nature … Continue reading →

Posted in City, Development, Drugs, Elites, Guy Debord, Illegality, Political Economy, Spatiality, Spectacle | Comments Off

Narco-Geographies, Part II: Political Ecology of the Drug Economy

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Teo Ballvé

Tim Hall has recently called on geographers to more actively study organized crime and geographies of the illicit more broadly. Paul Robbins, meanwhile, has said “the political ecology of the drug trade” (2004: 215) remains almost entirely unexplored. The ferocity … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, David Harvey, Drugs, Forests, Frontiers, Historical-Geographies, Illegality, Land, Political Ecology, Political Economy, Primitive Accumulation, Spatiality, The State | 4 Comments

Quinoa: The Caviar of the Andes?

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Teo Ballvé

A story from The Guardian discusses how increasing global demand for quinoa (a grain-like superfood) has brought riches as well as problems for producers in Bolivia and Peru. On the upside, the tripling of quinoa prices has given some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Development, Land, Political Ecology, Political Economy, Science & Tech. | Comments Off

Hugo Chávez’s Career Deserves Honest Assessment

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Teo Ballvé

My column published today in McClatchy-Tribune Company newspapers: Hugo Chávez’s Career Deserves Honest Assessment As Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez fights for his life, an honest assessment of his 14 years in office must take into account his significant achievements. From … Continue reading →

Posted in Development, Political Economy, Sovereignty, The State | Comments Off

Narco-Geographies, Part I: HSBC and Global Money Laundering

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Teo Ballvé

Britain’s biggest bank, HSBC, recently agreed to a record $1.92 billion settlement with U.S. authorities over charges that it laundered billions of dollars tied to Latin American drug cartels, so-called “rogue states,” and foreign terrorist organizations. Although the U.S. Department … Continue reading →

Posted in Drugs, Elites, Illegality, Networks, Political Economy, Scale, Security, Violence | 2 Comments

New Journal: Critical Historical Studies

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Teo Ballvé

University of Chicago Press is launching a new journal called Critical Historical Studies. Sponsored by the Chicago Center for Contemporary Theory and edited by Manu Goswami, Moishe Postone, Andrew Sartori, and William H. Sewell, Jr., the journal is actively seeking submissions. Critical Historical … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical-Geographies, Political Economy | Comments Off