Genealogy of mining territories in the Atacama Desert: The production of modern waterscapes in Tarapacá region, northern Chile (1853–1924) - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue The Extractive Industries and Society Année : 2021

Genealogy of mining territories in the Atacama Desert: The production of modern waterscapes in Tarapacá region, northern Chile (1853–1924)

Résumé

From a political ecology perspective, Chilean geographers have studied the various aspects of socio-environmental conflicts over water during the neoliberal period starting in 1973. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between the different meanings and materialities of water in the Tarapacá region of northern Chile prior to the introduction of neoliberal reforms using a geohistorical perspective. By reviewing historical archives and undertaking terrain analyses, we examine the respective roles of the state, capitalism, and science/technology in the commodification/modernization of water in Tarapacá from the 19th to the early 20th centuries. We propose that the 19th-century insertion of Tarapacá’s nitrate mining into the world capitalist circuit of minerals attracted explorers and scientists, who proffered modern discourses on nature and water while denying any local knowledge about water. These discourses then became prominent in the political sphere and were hegemonized through laws and norms. In parallel, the modernization of the nitrate mining resulted in the introduction of cutting-edge technologies for water infrastructure, a process that introduced changes in everyday practices regarding water, leading to the creation of the modern waterscapes in Tarapacá.
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Dates et versions

hal-02932299 , version 1 (17-09-2020)

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Manuel Mendez. Genealogy of mining territories in the Atacama Desert: The production of modern waterscapes in Tarapacá region, northern Chile (1853–1924). The Extractive Industries and Society, 2021, 8 (1), pp.111-122. ⟨10.1016/j.exis.2020.05.003⟩. ⟨hal-02932299⟩
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