Extractivism as Nationalism: Deciphering the Imaginaries and Discourses of Resource Nationalism

Merino R. · Journal of Development Studies (2026) · DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2026.2651305

Resumen

By examining the mining, oil, and agro-export sectors in Peru to analyse how resource nationalism operates within a neoliberal context, this article challenges dominant interpretations that view resource nationalism as a statist approach to managing natural resources. Based on interviews with high-level government officials and analysis of state policies and public declarations by influential government and corporate actors, this article engages with the notion of social imaginaries to explore how ideas of nation-building and extractive development shape how resource nationalism functions in a neoliberal political and economic context. The article finds that dominant discourses about resource nationalism highlight national contribution, international pride, and the inevitability of resource extraction, shaping an imaginary in which Peru describes itself as a ‘mining country’, the agro-export sector is a neoliberal poster child for success, and expanding oil operations in the Amazon rainforest is an economic and developmental imperative. These findings suggest that, rather than signalling a particular form of the state, resource nationalism is deployed broadly as a discourse aimed at constructing nationhood in relation to natural resources. This inquiry is crucial for exploring how alternative imaginaries and discourses can shape a platform of grassroots resource sovereignty.

Instituciones: Universidad del Pacífico