Communal Forests, Political Spaces: Territorial Competition between Common Property Institutions and the State in Guatemala

This paper seeks to extend a theoretical understanding of the relationship between territory, resources and power through an exploration of competing territorial claims to forest commons in Guatemala. In contrast to private or state ownership, common property institutions (CPIs) are increasingly being recognised as viable communal frameworks for managing resources. By advancing a theorisation of CPIs as political agents, new insights are revealed on how CPIs negotiate power with the state in order to survive. Comparative research in two Guatemalan forests reveals that this process of competition and negotiation between communities and states results in differential or contingent outcomes.