Terrain, visibility and temporalities of mountain autonomy

Abstract

This article explores the role of terrain in configuring political boundaries among local communities, market forces, and the state. Built upon fieldwork conducted between 2021 and 2024, the article addresses the role of terrain volume as a constitutive agent shaping, particularly in the central mountain areas of Chile, a layer of political negotiation between practices carried out by residents—especially drovers or cowboys (arrieros) of smaller livestock and landowners—and the state’s mandate. This article pays attention to residents' practices of space navigation and their use of terrain to create temporary autonomy from the state. Autonomy here is attained by people keeping themselves at the edge of the state, thus eluding public officials as illustrated by new forms of visibility arising from the interaction between pumas and cattle breeders. Local spatial practices and terrain knowledge are key to modulating whether residents interact with state's heteronomy or enact autonomy. We conclude by showing how mobility is a defining feature in the creation of alter-spaces and regulating the affordance that people have in the face of the state and market’s presence and their environmental effects.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Environment and Planning C Politics and Space, 2026 · DOI ↗