Propriété contre possession: les conflits liés aux plantations industrielles d'arbres | Property rights vs. common law possession: conflicts surrounding industrial tree plantations

This article proposes a new way of looking at social conflicts relating to industrial tree plantations by arguing that such conflicts reflect the struggle between two distinct institutional logics, i.e., property versus possession. The abstract logic of property, enhanced by credit relations and the minimization of costs, stimulates commercial plantations and tends to be detrimental to the environment. By contrast, the concrete logic of possession forces local communities to take account of complex local social and ecological interactions, and thereby encourages a sustainable use of the forest.

Integral Humanism and the Crisis of Modern Times

To Avoid misunderstanding, I should note at once that my point of view is here not that of the mere logic of ideas and doctrines, but that of the concrete logic of the events of history.From the first point of view, that of the mere logic of ideas and doctrines, it is evident that there are many possible positions other than the “pure” positions which I shall examine. One might ask theoretically and in the abstract, what value these various positions have. That is not what I plan to do. In a word, my point of view is that of the philosophy of culture, and not that of metaphysics.