Abstract

This chapter is devoted to the patterns and causes of corporate-community relations in the Rio Blanco case. In this case corporate-community relations are primarily characterized by confrontation. The first section shows how relatively strong peasant organizations emerged as a consequence of the contestations with the state over territorial control. The second and the third sections analyze the initial interactions with the corporation, demonstrating how the corporation employed a coercive form of patronage to advance the project. Peasant organizations responded forcefully to these strategies. Overall, the chapter shows the importance of broader political coalitions and non-state actors for communities to be able to engage in a sustained struggle opposing a project.