Geo-politics of paddling: ‘Turning the Tide’ on extraction

This paper contributes to a growing literature on affect that approaches emotion, mood and atmosphere not as peripheral to, but the beating heart of politics. While studies of affect have carefully illuminated how governments tap into emotions to shape and govern ‘good’ citizens loyal to the nation, here I examine how extractivist industries employ similar techniques to construct ‘good’ consumer-citizens. In particular, I explore how multinational oil-company Enbridge draws on the register of affect to promote its contested Northern Gateway proposal to transport bitumen from Alberta, Canada to tidewater. I analyse this through Enbridge’s million-dollar ‘Life Takes Energy’ promotional campaign. While this campaign powerfully governs through ‘affective citizenship,’ I contend that creative activism in the form of paddling presents a political challenge to this mode of governance. Based on empirical evidence gleaned from my participation in a paddle called ‘Turning the Tide,’ I demonstrate how this intimate and embodied activity contributes to Indigenous-led ecojustice movements that challenge extraction.