Political Ontology and Food Sovereignty. Afro-Colombian Territorial Struggles in the Colombian Pacific Basin

This paper explores the intricate relationship between spirituality, access and production of food, territoriality and social change in the Afro-descendant collectivities of the Colombian Pacific Basin, framed within the lens of political ontology. In this region, social, economic and cultural practices are deeply embedded in the spiritual world and the relational existence of human and non-human entities. Beyond accessing food, these practices reflect the type of relationship local afro-descendant collectivities have with their territory and the agency that non-human entities such as animals and plants have in the constitution of the space.

Drawing from ethnographic research, the study delves into how the relational co-existence of humans and non-human entities, challenges the Eurocentric perspective of nature as a passive provider of unlimited resources. The Afro-descendant collectivities of the Pacific engage in a form of relational ontology, where food, land, and spirituality are inseparably connected, and where human and non-human actors co-constitute the social world. This perspective offers alternative political narratives that resist developmentalist projects and environmental degradation, asserting a form of being in the world in which the well-being of the community and the natural world are interdependent.

By examining the intersection of food, religion, and political ontology, this paper highlights the ways in which the Afro-descendant communities of the Colombian Pacific defend their territory and negotiate the type of social change they want for them according to their own conception of well-being. It emphasizes their struggle in the face of external pressures, illustrating how food, as the materialization of a particular form of being in the world, becomes a site of resistance and transformation. The analysis contributes to broader debates on political ontology by foregrounding the lived experiences of Afro-Colombian populations, offering insights into how local institutions, habitus and food practices can inform broader discourses on autonomy, and environmental justice.