The Commons Facing Extractivism : Inquiring Anthropocene and a Life-Changing Project (Algeria)

In the wake of the energy transition and to free itself from the grip of fossil fuels, Algeria is increasingly turning to mining and renewable energies. This paper explores an example of a lead and zinc mining project in two rural communes in the wilaya of Béjaïa, Amizour and Tala Hamza, and the reaction of the communities affected by the project. Unlike many mining operations in Algeria, this area is close to relatively densely populated semi-urban centres resulting from the gradual de-ruralization that Algeria has undergone since the 1980s. In this paper, we look at the arguments put forward by the groups opposing the project, their formation, their alliances and their ability to react in order to safeguard the ecological (wetlands, ‘mountain cultures’) as well as the human and health aspects.

We analyze the arguments that focus on attachment to the land at a time when land is less and less used as a means of subsistence, yet serves as a place of attachment and identity, as well as immaterial goods (cemetery, historical places and et lieu de mémoire). In addition, our analyses are attentive to the nature of mobilisations and protests, and their relevance to extractive projects that take no account of the populations concerned: what alternatives do they offer, how viable are they, and what are the possible convergences that exist between them and with cases in Algeria and in the neighbouring countries? Finally, and more importantly, how the Commons are maintained among regions that have undergone important structural transformations?