Resource peripheries and their trajectories
Peripheries, in Quebec and elsewhere, seem to be facing profound changes that are difficult to grasp. We argue in favour of a theoretical renewal, through contextualized research and a closer connection between economic geography and political economy, to understand the specificities and dynamics of these spaces. The difficulties facing mainstream models in these territories should not mean that modelling efforts should be abandoned: “local” and contextualized models offer a promising way to address the spatial, political, and economic logics of resource peripheries. We will introduce one of these models, derived from staples theory, which considers Canadian economic development through the articulation of multiple geographical, technical, and institutional factors. This model, provided some updating efforts are made, seems still relevant to understand the political and economic dynamics of Quebec’s resource peripheries. This suggestion will be illustrated with the aluminum industry.