Dr. Penelope Anthias

My research examines the struggles surrounding indigeneity, territory, and resource extraction in Latin America, particularly based on over 15 years of ethnographic work in Bolivia’s Chaco region. I contribute to interdisciplinary discussions on extractivism, territory, and decolonial politics, focusing on the interplay between hydrocarbons and citizenship in neoextractivist states, the implications of neoliberal multiculturalism for Indigenous movements, and the micro-politics of race and property at (post)colonial frontiers. Through in-depth case studies, I explore how fossil capitalism intersects with (post)colonial struggles, shaping new subjectivities, governable spaces, and political possibilities. Notable case studies include a Guaraní territorial claim over Bolivia’s largest gas field, a regional autonomy initiative linking plurinationalism to gas revenues, and a conflict over gas development in a protected area. My interdisciplinary approach incorporates critical literature on law, rights, extraction, and indigeneity, utilizing ethnographic methods, counter-mapping, and documentary filmmaking to investigate the dynamics of land, law, and extractivism in relation to Indigenous autonomy and citizenship.