Is extraction in France an “extractivism”? The example of social conflicts regarding unconventional oil and gas

This article examines the analytical frame of Latin American extractivism in order to tackle the conflicts over unconventional oil and gas exploration in France from 2010 to 2017. Based on an analysis of public and collective action, the article underlines that the French case shows a different politicization of oil and gas production from the traditional accounts in the literature on extractivism. Our analysis highlights that neither power relations, nor storytelling, nor political choices allow the French case to be described as an example of extractivism, defined as an asymmetrical system of trade, based on intensive exploitation of natural resources, to the benefit of transnational companies, supported by the state apparatus and the main governing political parties, at the expense of local communities facing the consequences of pollution. The failure of unconventional oil and gas in France shows, on the contrary, the ability of a social movement to take possession of a sector of public policy.