A Chilean Free-Market Miracle? The Effects of Neoliberal Economic Changes on Small-Scale Fishermen on the island of Chiloe
Publisher
The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Abstract
How are culturally distinct regions affected by free-market forces? It is with this question in mind that I set out this past summer to study the impact of neoliberal economic strategies on the island of Chiloe in southern Chile. In particular, I looked at how Chile's thirty-year policy of export-oriented resource extraction has affected- and been perceived by workers and families involved in the fishing industry of Chiloe. Throughout my eight-week stay in the country I gathered enough preliminary data to suggest that Chile's economic policies have had mixed results for fishermen in Chiloe: while major national and international companies have flourished, small-scale independent fishermen have faced increasing restrictions on where, when, and how they can fish. Furthermore, many of the islanders I spoke to linked these changes to a broader, more fundamental impact on Chiloe's overall culture - a gradual but perceptible shift from collectivity to individualism.Type
textThesis-Reproduction (electronic)
Degree Name
M.A.Degree Level
mastersDegree Program
Graduate CollegeAnthropology