Description
Book SynopsisFabiana Li examines the politics surrounding the rapid growth of mining in the Peruvian Andes, arguing that anti-mining protests are not only about mining's negative environmental impacts, but about the legitimization of contested forms of knowledge.
Trade Review"This is a timely ethnography of contemporary mining conflict... She offers an attractive understanding of “conflict.” No theory of resistance along the lines of already assumed, immutable material interests (such as mass protests or road blockades) can capture the nuances with which Li meticulously “unearths conflict.”... It is a must-read for veterans and newcomers to research in the anthropology of mining." -- Anita Carrasco * American Ethnologist *
"This book does a lot and it does it well. It will be helpful not only in providing a rich foundation for studies of mining conflict in Peru, but also for students and scholars really looking for a way to illuminate the complexities of the common reality of community/government/corporate conflict over resource extraction in the name of 'development' throughout Latin America and beyond." -- Kristina Baines * Anthropology Book Forum *
"[Li's] analysis is based on an extensive and exhaustive ethnographic research and informed by an analytical framework that is well suited for deconstructing, exploring, and unveiling.
Unearthing Conflict is in this regard an obliged resource for those interested in understanding not only mining conflicts and activism or the complexities of human agency but also the broader interactions between humans and nature(s), especially in these critical times." -- Cristina Espinosa Ch. * American Anthropologist *
"Fabiana Li’s innovative ethnography breaks new ground in conceptualizing the political ecology of mining controversies....The book makes a significant contribution to the field of political ecology by rethinking the ways in which landscapes take on political significance. It is highly recommended reading for students and scholars interested in environmental politics, corporate social responsibility, and social movements." -- Teresa A. Velásquez * Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute *
"Li’s extensive fieldwork in Peru adds authenticity and authority to each of her compelling case studies. The book is accessible to upper-division undergraduate courses as well as graduate seminars on modern Latin America. Anyone interested in conflicts over extractive resources, Andean mining communities, and social anthropology in Peru should add
Unearthing Conflict to their reading lists." -- Stephen Cote * Environmental History *
"Based on extensive local research, Li offers both a rich inside story of the different actors and interactions in Cajamarca and a valuable contribution to theory building." -- Barbara Hogenboom * European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies *
"
Unearthing Conflict is an excellent ethnographic treatment of mining corporations, their local and state supporters, and the activists who contest them. By complicating standard narratives of community opposition to mining with the perspective of contestations about equivalences, the book would enrich senior undergraduate and graduate courses about Latin America, resource extraction, expert knowledge, and human and non-human actors." -- Daniel Tubb * PoLAR *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii
Introduction. A Mining Country 1
Part I. Mining Past and Present
1. Toxic Legacies, Nascent Activism 35
2. Mega-Mining and Emergent Conflicts 71
Part II. Water and Life
3. The Hydrology of a Sacred Mountain 107
4. Inrrigation and Contested Equivalences 143
Part III. Activism and Expertise
5. Stepping outside the Document 185
Conclusion. Expanding Frontiers of Extraction 215
Notes 235
References 243
Index 257
