Exploitation, slavery, and protest in the global north: the silicon ‘plantations’ of Salento (Italy) – the tecnova case

This study analyses the Tecnova case in Salento (2009-2011), a paradigmatic example of the exploitation of migrant labour in the context of renewable energy, a sector often celebrated for its innovative and sustainable potential. Through a sociological analysis combining qualitative interviews with privileged observers and the Protest Event Analysis approach, the complex connections between racialisation, precarious labour and the dynamics of global capitalism are explored. Migrant workers, employed in conditions of extreme exploitation, have given rise to spontaneous protests that, while achieving concrete results in terms of immediate demands, have failed to undermine the deep structures of racialised capitalism and the migration policies that fuel its existence. Using the concepts of the coloniality of power and the racialisation of labour, the study highlights how even sectors related to the energy transition can reproduce the extractive, hierarchical and oppressive logics typical of contemporary capitalism. Finally, the research sheds light on the structural limits of traditional unionisation in supporting migrants' forms of spontaneous resistance and reflects on the theoretical and practical possibilities of building broader movements capable of challenging the racial hierarchies and extractive logics underpinning the global economic system.