Extraction and Extractivisms: Definitions and Concepts

This chapter provides an etymological and ontological overview of the roots of extraction and global extractivisms. Since the 2000s, extractivisms have intensified, becoming ever-more global, promulgated by land and resource rushes. Meanwhile, the academic use of the concept of extractivism has expanded from mining to new arenas like agriculture, forestry, finance, and even digital realms. We provide an analysis of the underlying etymologies and ‘onto-logics’ of extractivism to illuminate a mindset and practice that is increasingly pervasive in the operations of extraction and the modern world system. We also highlight some forms of on-the-ground resistance to this onto-logic to emphasize the violence it inheres and the defiance it spurs. The extractivist logic continues to expand into arenas where the extent of the infiltration of extractivist modes of operations has only recently been recognized. We suggest ways forward in the agenda of analyzing extraction, global extractivisms, and violence.