نوع مقاله : پژوهشی بنیادی
نویسنده
گروه جغرافیا، دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه بیرجند، بیرجند، ایران
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسنده [English]
The commodification of mountain spaces represents a significant manifestation of transformation in the political economy of space, a process that has intensified over the past two decades in Iran, particularly in the eastern regions of the country. Through this process, mountains are transformed from ecological and cultural landscapes with use value into arenas for capital accumulation endowed with exchange value. This study seeks to understand the mechanisms of the production and reproduction of space under conditions of mountain commodification by examining selected mountainous areas in the counties of Birjand, Mashhad, and Torghabeh–Shandiz. In contrast to much of the existing literature, which primarily focuses on the environmental or social consequences of these transformations, this research centers on the processes and mechanisms through which mountain space is produced and reproduced. The theoretical framework integrates Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space with debates on the commodification of nature,. Methodologically, the study is grounded in naturalistic inquiry and adopts a mixed inductive–deductive approach, employing thematic analysis to identify core patterns and meanings. Data were collected through long-term in-depth field observations, semi-structured interviews, and the analysis of development documents and official discursive texts. The findings indicate that mountain commodification is a multilayered and relational process arising from the interaction of five key forces: the dominance of market logics, the aestheticization and symbolic reconfiguration of mountain landscapes, neoliberal governance, the exclusion of local communities, and urban–infrastructural development pressures. Infrastructure investment, land-use change, and state-led legal–spatial engineering have collectively transformed mountains from use-value-oriented spaces into sites of capital accumulation and exchange value. The study ultimately underscores the necessity of articulating a “right to the mountains” and calls for a critical rethinking of power relations, property regimes, and hegemonic development discourses to advance spatial justice.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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