Comparative case analysis at the territorial scale has been rarely applied to the study of extractivism in Latin America, limiting the identification of its nuances and diversity. This research contributes to the debate through the reconstruction and comparative analysis of four large-scale gold mining cases: Temixco and San José del Progreso in Mexico, and Santurbán and Buriticá in Colombia). These cases, marked by protracted and at times violent conflicts, reveal trajectories that do not follow a linear pattern but rather recurrent cycles of escalation and de-escalation. The analysis, grounded in a relational conception of the State, integrates four dimensions: protest cycles, political opportunity structures, organizational structures, and discursive frames. Findings show that the cohesion or fragmentation of local elites, the ability to forge broad, cross-class alliances, and the ...

Comparative case analysis at the territorial scale has been rarely applied to the study of extractivism in Latin America, limiting the identification of its nuances and diversity. This research contributes to the debate through the reconstruction and comparative analysis of four large-scale gold mining cases: Temixco and San José del Progreso in Mexico, and Santurbán and Buriticá in Colombia). These cases, marked by protracted and at times violent conflicts, reveal trajectories that do not follow a linear pattern but rather recurrent cycles of escalation and de-escalation. The analysis, grounded in a relational conception of the State, integrates four dimensions: protest cycles, political opportunity structures, organizational structures, and discursive frames. Findings show that the cohesion or fragmentation of local elites, the ability to forge broad, cross-class alliances, and the ...