Conflictos socioambientales y extractivismo hidroeléctrico en Colombia: una mirada al Oriente de Caldas desde la teoría crítica

This article examines the socio-environmental conflicts caused by hydroelectric extractivism in eastern Caldas, Colombia, from a critical perspective influenced by the first generation of the Frankfurt School. Using a historical-hermeneutic approach along with qualitative methods such as interviews, participant observation, and the collection of primary and secondary sources, it investigates how projects like Hidromiel I and Miel II, promoted under the discourse of sustainable development, create tensions with local communities over access to and use of water. The study demonstrates that these conflicts are not only reactions to material disputes but also stem from differing visions of development and the relationship with nature. It emphasizes the emergence of various forms of peasant resistance articulated in the Eastern Caldas Peasant Environmental Movement (MACO), which proposes territorial alternatives focused on environmental protection and the conservation of shared resources. The findings show that critical theory is a useful tool for understanding the fundamental logic behind environmental domination and sheds light on the emancipatory practices developing within local territories.