Reconocimiento cultural y ontológico en la implementación de proyectos eólicos: una revisión de la literatura sobre el territorio ancestral Wayuu en Uribia, la Guajira (2004–2025)

Abstract

The expansion of wind energy in La Guajira (Colombia) has intensified tensions between energy development models and Indigenous territorialities, placing the Wayuu territory at the center of debates on energy transition, justice, and recognition. This article examines how academic literature published between 2004 and 2025 addresses the cultural and ontological recognition of the ancestral Wayuu territory in the municipality of Uribia, in relation to wind energy development, as well as the dominant approaches and existing gaps in understanding its socio-cultural impacts. The analysis shows that the literature is structured around three main axes: the conceptualization of Wayuu territory as a cultural and relational construct; the framing of the energy transition through both techno-instrumental and critical perspectives; and the examination of socio-cultural impacts, energy justice, and territorial conflicts. The findings reveal a significant asymmetry between the well-developed cultural recognition of territory and the more recent and less systematic incorporation of its ontological dimension. In addition, a fragmentation is identified between Indigenous territorial studies and wind energy research, limiting an integrated understanding of ongoing processes. While the literature documents substantial transformations in community organization, land use, and social relations, it shows limited integration of symbolic, spiritual, and ontological dimensions in the analysis of these impacts. The study concludes that the main gap lies not in the lack of research, but in the weak articulation between territorial and energy-oriented approaches. It argues that cultural and ontological recognition must be positioned as a central analytical axis to better understand wind energy transitions in Indigenous territories and to advance more integrated, critical, and territorially grounded frameworks.