Manuel Prieto | Universidad de Tarapacá (original) (raw)

Books by Manuel Prieto

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Handbook of Latin American Development

The Routledge Handbook of Latin American Development seeks to engage with comprehensive, contempo... more The Routledge Handbook of Latin American Development seeks to engage with comprehensive, contemporary and critical theoretical debates on Latin American development. The volume draws on contributions from across the humanities and social sciences and, unlike earlier volumes of this kind, explicitly highlights the disruptions to the field being brought by a range of anti-capitalist, decolonial, feminist, and ontological intellectual contributions. The chapters consider in depth the harms and suffering caused by various oppressive forces, as well as the creative and often revolutionary ways in which ordinary Latin Americans resist, fight back, and work to construct development defined broadly as the struggle for a better and more dignified life. The book covers many key themes including development policy and practice, neoliberalism and its aftermath, the role played by social movements in cities and rural areas, the politics of water, oil and other environmental resources, indigenous and Afro-descendant rights and the struggles for gender equality. With contributions from authors working in Latin America, the US and Canada, Europe, and New Zealand at a range of universities and other organizations, the handbook is an invaluable resource for students and lecturers in development studies, Latin American studies, cultural studies, human geography, anthropology, sociology, political science and economics, as well as activists and development practitioners.

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Research paper thumbnail of Ecología política en Chile. Naturaleza, propiedad, conocimiento y poder

La ecología política rompe el mito de la naturaleza como fenómeno prepolítico, destacando las nar... more La ecología política rompe el mito de la naturaleza como fenómeno prepolítico, destacando las narrativas hegemónicas que la producen discursiva y materialmente. Este enfoque cuestiona la forma de generar conocimiento sobre la naturaleza e interroga a los ganadores y perdedores en las relaciones entre ser humano y medio ambiente.
El libro introduce los principales temas de atención de la ecología política como son el poder, la propiedad, la naturaleza y el conocimiento, y los utiliza como lentes para mirar la realidad chilena. Cada tema se presenta a través de dos casos de estudio relativos a agua, bosque, salmonicultura, y conflictos como el caso CELCO y pewenche.
El libro, recoge investigaciones originales de académicos e investigadores nacionales e internacionales, con el propósito de entregar información a lectores interesados en analizar temas relacionados con sociedad y medio ambiente. También se ofrece como complemento para espacios académicos que quieran profundizar en los aspectos conceptuales y teóricos de la ecología política actual.
El libro constituye una contribución importante a las ciencias sociales para construir una agenda de investigación que ponga en diálogo los proyecto académicos con la justicia ambiental.

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Papers by Manuel Prieto

Research paper thumbnail of Productive practices in Andean rural areas and their relationship to extractive markets (Atacama Desert, northern Chile, 1915-2019

Rural History, 2023

Extractivism has marked the history of Latin America whose operations are in rural territories in... more Extractivism has marked the history of Latin America whose operations are in rural territories inhabited mainly by indigenous populations. Mining has had a remarkable expansion in rural territories of the Andes. Critical studies of these processes have focused on the disruptive aspects and conflict between companies, local populations, and States. However, mining has also been intertwined with the territories based on contradictory relationships at different timescales. To examine this issue, we carried out a historical reconstruction of the productive practices of the Caspana community indigenous (northern Chile) and their different forms of connection with mining development. We combine diverse data sources and methodological approaches: oral histories obtained from ethnography, censuses, explorers' records, and academic literature. We identify different types of relationships over time, according to the different forms of indigenous participation in the extractive markets and the deployment and rearrangement of diverse economic strategies by the indigenous population.

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Research paper thumbnail of Mining Extractivism, Commodification of Nature and Indigenous Peasantry in the Atacama Desert The Political Economy of Yareta (Azorella Compacta) in Historical Perspective (1915-1960

Latin American Perspectives, 2024

Studies on the agrarian question in Latin America have dealt with the role of capital in the area... more Studies on the agrarian question in Latin America have dealt with the role of capital in the area of agriculture and forestry while paying scant attention to its role in other areas, such as mining. Research on mining extractivism, for its part, has privileged recent socio-environmental conflicts without delving into the configurations of social classes and labor relations as it relates to agriculture. This article integrates these topics, analyzing the connections between copper extractivism, the commodification of the yareta plant, and indigenous peasant labor. We studied the medium-upper basin of the Loa River, in northern Chile, where one of the most important copper mines in the world (Chuquicamata) has been operating since 1915. Using ethnography and bibliographic analysis, we provide an account of how the expansion of extractivism requires a mixture of properly capitalist labor relations mixed with customary Andean practices. The latter are subsumed by capital and have played a key structural role during certain periods.

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Research paper thumbnail of It’s time to talk about the hidden human cost of the green transition

Nature, 2024

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Research paper thumbnail of Desestabilizando la Geografía Indígena

ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 2024

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Research paper thumbnail of The Production of Empty Space and Deserts in the South-Central Andean Highlands

Land , 2023

Imaginaries serve as the foundational framework shaping representations and influencing societal ... more Imaginaries serve as the foundational framework shaping representations and influencing societal perspectives, subsequently guiding specific practices. Within the realm of geographical imaginaries, this article adopted a geohistorical perspective, using periodicals, secondary sources, and contemporary digital media to shed light on the geography of the highlands of northern Chile. Our objective was to emphasize the representations that have discouraged the occupation of these mountainous regions. Our findings revealed the emergence of a geographic imaginary that attributes desert-like qualities to the entire northern region of Chile, extending beyond the “unpopulated area of Atacama”. This misleading characterization fails to distinguish desert areas from the topographic variations existing between the Andes and the Pacific coast. These representations, which have translated into depopulation practices, have stigmatized the highland areas as synonymous with desolation and inhospitality, seemingly unsuitable for daily life, social production, and reproduction potential. Consequently, both spaces and individuals have been objectified for development, perpetuating the capitalist system as the dominant mode of production.

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Research paper thumbnail of Privatizing water in the Atacama Desert and the resurgence of Atacameño indigeneity

Privatizing water in the Atacama Desert and the resurgence of Atacameño indigeneity, 2023

Until the mid-1980s, the Atacameño indigenous people were broadly caricatured as Chilean peasants... more Until the mid-1980s, the Atacameño indigenous people were broadly caricatured as Chilean peasants or herders. In the 1980s, they began a process of resurgence as indigenous in order to attain legal recognition. Structural approaches to indigeneity have explored this phenomenon by seeing Atacameños as passive subjects whose identity has been imposed, fixed, or mediated by the law and by external actors (e.g. bureaucrats, intellectuals, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)). Problematizing these viewpoints, I argue here that Atacameños, rather than adopting indigeneity based on predetermined structural factors or instrumental motivations, are active agents in their resurgence and the articulation of their identity against cultural assimilation and extractive industries. Based largely on oral evidence collected from indigenous leaders and other key actors, I show that the dispossession and threats that the neoliberal Chilean Water Code brought to the Atacameños served as critical historical sediment for the resurgence and articulation of their indigeneity. The results problematize the hegemonic perspective that presents authenticity as a requisite for indigeneity and indigenous people as colonial power victims. Instead, Atacameños are situated agents who revived their identity within a broader process in order to challenge dominant structures concerning access to resources, principally water.

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Research paper thumbnail of Aporias of North/South political ecologies

Progress in Environmental Geography, 2023

In this intervention, we explore the impacts of geopolitical bifurcation on the field of politica... more In this intervention, we explore the impacts of geopolitical bifurcation on the field of political ecology, specifically the divide between political ecology from the Global North and political ecology from the Global South. We argue that this divide perpetuates categorical essentialisms, flattens authors’ standpoints, and reproduces inequities in how scholarship is valued and circulated based on where it is written from. These issues are not limited to political ecology alone but can be relevant to environmental geography as well. Through our analysis of the perpetuation of aporia in political ecology, we challenge the normalcy of this North/South differentiation and advocate for recognizing the agency and capacity of political ecology practitioners, regardless of their geographic location, language, or nationality, to shape the field. Drawing from our experiences as Latin Americanist political ecologists, we argue that trans hemispheric and polylingual projects that challenge power dynamics, create inclusive research processes, and recognize colonial legacies are crucial for more equitable and just approaches to addressing environmental and social justice issues. Furthermore, we examine the coloniality of institutions and technologies that move environmental knowledge as a commodity, such as uni- versities, indexed journals, publishing houses, and research funding criteria.

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Research paper thumbnail of Conocimiento ecológico tradicional en el Altiplano chileno: entre la variabilidad climática y la percepción local

Revista de Geografía Norte Grande, 2022

El norte de Chile, y particularmente el área de Precordillera y Altiplano, presenta unas condicio... more El norte de Chile, y particularmente el área de Precordillera y Altiplano, presenta unas condiciones climáticas caracterizadas por la aridez, pero no exentas de eventos de precipitaciones intensas y de temperaturas muy frías. En esta área se asientan comunidades aimaras desde tiempos precolombinos que han prosperado y desarrollado actividades agropastoriles pese a estas condiciones poco favorables basándose en la observación de indicadores naturales. A partir de datos de precipitación y temperaturas y de entrevistas semiestructuradas, se identificaron aquellos indicadores y cuál era el comportamiento climático/meteorológico que vaticinaban, en el caso de las poblaciones de Putre (Precordillera) y Caquena (Altiplano). Así, se identificó que estos indicadores naturales permiten adelantar con una determinada confianza el carácter húmedo o seco, o frío o cálido de una estación venidera, pero presenta determinadas limitaciones a la hora de predecir la ocurrencia de eventos extremos de carácter local. En ese sentido, este trabajo supone un buen avance a la hora de poner de relevancia el conocimiento tradicional de las comunidades andinas, que aparece como una muestra más de su valor patrimonial.

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Research paper thumbnail of Andean peatlands at risk? Spatiotemporal patterns of extreme NDVI anomalies, water extraction and drought severity in a large-scale mining area of Atacama, northern Chile

International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation, 2023

In the Andes, multiple human and climatic factors threaten the conservation of bofedales, a type ... more In the Andes, multiple human and climatic factors threaten the conservation of bofedales, a type of high altitude peat forming wetland widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical Andes. In northern Chile, climate change and water extraction for industrial activities are among the most significant threats to these relevant socio- hydrological systems hosting indigenous pastoral communities. In this study, we present an integrated anal- ysis of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) anomalies, drought severity and water rights granted to industry to provide insight on the conservation status of bofedales, historical drivers of their transformation, and current threats. Using Landsat satellite imagery from 1986 to 2018, we identify spatio-temporal NDVI changes of 442 bofedales in one of the leading copper producing regions of the world. The NDVI time series analysis over 32 growing seasons was used to detect extreme anomalies, i.e. values outside the 95 % of the reference frequency distribution, indicating periods of extreme changes in the productivity of these high Andes wetlands. To evaluate the relationship between bofedales NDVI extreme periods to drought and continued water extraction activities, we combine a climate-based multi-temporal-scale drought index (SPEI) with the geospatial latitudinal distri- bution of water rights granted for extractive industries in the study area. Over the time period of analysis, the total amount of granted water rights increased 465 % from 1,201 l/s recorded before 1985 to 5,584 l/s in 2018. In the areas where the highest amount of water rights are concentrated, i.e. between 21.3◦S and 22.1◦S, “green” bofedales (NDVI>=0.23) are practically absent. NDVI of the austral summer (JFM) was highly correlated with the severity of drought occurring during the three months of the growing season peak. While our findings show bofedal productivity is mostly influenced by precipitation and temperature of the wet season (JFM) during the study period, results also raise questions regarding possible bofedal loss occurring over the previous 80 years prior to the satellite record, wherein water extraction activities have significantly increased according to official records.

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Research paper thumbnail of The Volcanic Landscapes of the Ancient Hunter-Gatherers of the Atacama Desert Through Their Lithic Remains

Frontiers in Earth Science , 2022

Since ancient times Andean societies have formed an intimate relationship with volcanoes, the beg... more Since ancient times Andean societies have formed an intimate relationship with volcanoes, the beginnings of which can be traced right back to the initial peopling of the region. By studying rocks used for stone tools and other everyday artifacts, we explore the volcanic landscapes of early hunter-gatherer groups (11,500–9,500 cal BP) of the highlands of the Atacama Desert (22–24°S/67–68°W). Petrological classification of the lithic assemblages of three Early Holocene archaeological sites showed the procurement of a great diversity of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks, including pumice, granitic rocks, micro-diorites, a large variety of tuffs and andesites, dacites, cherts, basalts, obsidians, among others. Field surveys enabled us to detect many of their sources related to volcanic features such as craters, maars, caldera-domes, lava flows, probable hydrothermal deposits, and ignimbrites. In these places, we also document large quarry-workshops and campsites from different periods, indicating intense and repeated human occupation over time. By comparing the artifacts with geological samples collected in the field, it was possible to assign the source of origin of a large part of the archaeological assemblages. Our data suggest that the volcanic features of the Atacama highlands were integrated into the mobility and interaction networks of ancient hunter-gatherer groups at an early date.

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Research paper thumbnail of Toxic violence in marine sacrificial zones: Developing blue justice through marine democracy in Chile

Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 2022

Marine sacrificial zones are planned areas dedicated to the toxic violence of carbo-chemical port... more Marine sacrificial zones are planned areas dedicated to the toxic violence of carbo-chemical port development around the world. In the marine environment in Chile, repeated fisher led new social movements have been raised regarding the need to create laws controlling marine pollution from combined coal power station/extraction complexes and realise participatory blue epistemic justice. A series of case studies from across Chile demonstrate the importance of integrating fisher observations of contamination. Interviews and participatory GIS shows how fisher communities LEK

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Research paper thumbnail of Urban Heat Islands and Vulnerable Populations in a Mid-Size Coastal City in an Arid Environment

Atmosphere, 2021

Arica is a coastal city located in northern Chile, in the Atacama Desert. The behavior of surface... more Arica is a coastal city located in northern Chile, in the Atacama Desert. The behavior of surface temperatures in the city between 1985 and 2019 was studied using Landsat satellite images, leading to the identification of surface urban heat islands (SUHI), surface urban cold islands (SUCI), and average temperature zones. The higher intensities of the SUHI reach values of almost 45 °C and the SUCI lower values are below 13 °C. From the socioeconomic characterisation of the population based on indicators retrieved from the 2012 and 2017 population censuses, we identified that during the study period there was a lower presence of SUHI, but these were linked to spaces of lower socioeconomic level and, for the most part, would form new urban spaces within the city. On the other hand, SUCI had a greater spatial presence in the study area and in the urban morphology, being found mostly in areas of high socioeconomic level and in consolidated spaces with few possibilities of generating new ...

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Research paper thumbnail of The (not-so-free) Chilean water model. The case of the Antofagasta Region, Atacama Desert, Chile

The Extractive Industries and Society, 2022

Both supporters and critics of the Chilean water model have described it as a textbook example of... more Both supporters and critics of the Chilean water model have described it as a textbook example of deregulation and the free-market model for water management. In this article, we challenge this characterization and argue that the model has relied on long-term and highly centralized State decisions that have installed and reproduced historical power asymmetries. Based on archival research and historical records of water rights assignments and water-related legal instruments, we develop a comprehensive historical analysis of how water rights have been distributed over the last 100 years in one of the country's most paradigmatic cases: the Antofagasta Region. Starting seven decades before the military regime imposed the 1981 Water Code, our analysis reveals that water in this geographical area has historically been distributed through distinct State-driven strategies rather than market instruments, favoring mining companies. We conclude that the Chilean water model, rather than being a market-driven approach to water management, actually relies on strong regulations, and that the Water Code merely crystallizes centralized historical decisions regarding water distribution that support an extractivist development model.

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Research paper thumbnail of Reframing Pastoral Practices of Bofedal Management to Increase the Resilience of Andean Water Towers

Mountain Research and Development, 2021

Across the Andes, a critical challenge for mountain socioecological systems is securing water for... more Across the Andes, a critical challenge for mountain socioecological systems is securing water for future generations. Pastoral communities are especially vulnerable because their livelihood practices are often unseen or perceived as a threat to natural resource conservation. In addition to the challenges of climate change, socioeconomic and political processes complicate the drivers of pasture degradation and sustainable water management. Often overlooked systems in assessments of Andean water towers are bofedales (high-altitude peat wetlands), which are critical to supporting mountain pastoral livelihoods. While ''natural'' azonal mountain peatland and humid meadow development occurs across the Andes, we posit that bofedales are sociohydrological systems created through pastoral management practices over generations. Drawing on the results of applied research on bofedales across the Andes and a literature review of published papers, we present a conceptual reframing of bofedal typologies and change analysis, which prioritizes the role of pastoralists in interdisciplinary research and comparative assessments of land-use and land-cover change in Andean highland regions. We identified key socioecological challenges to sustainable bofedal management, related to herder decisionmaking and articulated within broader socioeconomic processes. Reframing bofedales as sociohydrological constructs permits the identification of actionable knowledge and the support of water conservation practices applied by pastoralists across Andean water tower regions. If Andean pastoralists are recognized as stewards of sociohydrological systems that are critical to water towers, rather than perceived as threats to natural resources, bofedal conservation planning may be prioritized and locally supported.

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Research paper thumbnail of Bofedal response to climate variability, local management, and water extraction: A case study of Chucuyo, Northern Chile

Journal of Mountain Science, 2022

Andean high-altitude wetlands are important ecosystems that serve a range of socialecological fun... more Andean high-altitude wetlands are important ecosystems that serve a range of socialecological functions. In the Andes, bofedales, a specific type of peat-producing wetland, are essential for the sustainability of mountain ecosystems and indigenous pastoralist communities. The Chucuyo bofedal in northern Chile is affected by climatic variability and water extraction for agricultural uses via the Lauca canal. Herders in the local community also actively manage this wetland according to their traditional ecological knowledge to ensure permanent fodder for their animals. In this article, we analyze the annual behavior of the Chucuyo bofedal after the wet season. Based on precipitation data, extracted water flows, vegetation vigor from satellite images, and an ethnographic approach, we determined that the bofedal's productivity was negatively correlated with the amount of precipitation and positively correlated with the surface area of the wetland. However, water extraction via the Lauca channel had no significant relationship with either surface area or vegetation vigor. We identify community practices and traditional ecological knowledge as key elements in the maintenance of these ecosystems. This situation is critical in the context of an aging population and the current pattern of migration out of the region to urban areas. The results provide substantial empirical evidence for future decision-making regarding the conservation of these ecosystems.

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Research paper thumbnail of La cuestión agraria y el cobre en la provincia de El Loa (1929/30 – 2006/07). Andes centro-sur, norte de Chile

Estudios Atacameños. Arqueología y Antropología Surandinas, 2020

La provincia de El Loa, habitada históricamente por población andina dedicada a actividades agríc... more La provincia de El Loa, habitada históricamente por población andina dedicada a actividades agrícolas, pastoriles y de intercambio, ha ocupado un lugar estratégico en la expansión del extractivismo cuprífero chileno y su inserción internacional. Ahí se emplaza Chuquicamata, la que fuera durante parte importante del siglo XX la mina de cobre más grande del mundo. Para avanzar en la comprensión de las transformaciones territoriales que produce esta actividad, efectuamos un análisis histórico-estructural de la agricultura de la provincia entre 1929/30 y 2006/07. Caracterizamos analíticamente las transformaciones agrarias de la zona relacionando su desenvolvimiento con la expansión de la gran minería cuprífera. Teóricamente, nos posicionamos desde el paradigma de la cuestión agraria, reproblematizado a partir de los estudios sobre el extractivismo. En términos metodológicos, usamos estadísticas descriptivas de censos agropecuarios para caracterizar la estructura agraria, y fuentes históricas y secundarias para comprender sus conexiones con la explotación cuprífera.

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Research paper thumbnail of Justicia ambiental en Chile, ¿la última oportunidad

Cuadernos Médicos-sociales , 2021

La condición climática global y la incierta situación socio-política nacional han propiciado nece... more La condición climática global y la incierta situación socio-política nacional han propiciado necesarios debates en torno a la relación entre economía política y naturaleza en Chile. En este artículo, hacemos una reflexión incorporando elementos teóricos y modelos empíricos chilenos para analizar brevemente el rol del conocimiento científico en el estudio interseccional de la naturaleza. La generación y aplicación de metodologías inclusivas reconoce que las relaciones de dominación por parte del capital y el patriarcado son parte del proceso de producción de la naturaleza. Una aproximación tradicionalmente excluyente e individualista impide el avance hacia alternativas de desarrollo que reconozcan o generen otros modelos basados en la defensa de la vida, humana y no-humana, en coexistencia estrecha con formas inertes.

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Research paper thumbnail of Mining, Urban Growth, and Agrarian Changes in the Atacama Desert: The Case of the Calama Oasis in Northern Chile

Land, 2021

Since the mid-twentieth century, Latin American rural territories have undergone sig- nificant tr... more Since the mid-twentieth century, Latin American rural territories have undergone sig- nificant transformations. One of the leading causes is the expansion of large-scale operations that exploit natural resources for world market exportation with low processing. In this paper, we study the changes in agricultural activities, livestock, and land use in the Calama oasis (the Atacama Desert, northern Chile) in relation to the growth of large-scale copper mining and other chained processes (urbanization and increased demand for water resources); based on a mixed methodology combining descriptive statistics, archival and bibliographic review, ethnography, and spatial analysis. We present the results through a historical reconstruction of the analyzed dimensions and their relationships, accounting for contradictory dynamics in time and space. We identify how mining and urban growth promote some agricultural and livestock activities under certain economic and political conditions, while in other contexts, these activities have been severely weakened, seeing increasing urbanization of rural land, rural-urban pluriactivity, and a growing deagrarianization.

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Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Handbook of Latin American Development

The Routledge Handbook of Latin American Development seeks to engage with comprehensive, contempo... more The Routledge Handbook of Latin American Development seeks to engage with comprehensive, contemporary and critical theoretical debates on Latin American development. The volume draws on contributions from across the humanities and social sciences and, unlike earlier volumes of this kind, explicitly highlights the disruptions to the field being brought by a range of anti-capitalist, decolonial, feminist, and ontological intellectual contributions. The chapters consider in depth the harms and suffering caused by various oppressive forces, as well as the creative and often revolutionary ways in which ordinary Latin Americans resist, fight back, and work to construct development defined broadly as the struggle for a better and more dignified life. The book covers many key themes including development policy and practice, neoliberalism and its aftermath, the role played by social movements in cities and rural areas, the politics of water, oil and other environmental resources, indigenous and Afro-descendant rights and the struggles for gender equality. With contributions from authors working in Latin America, the US and Canada, Europe, and New Zealand at a range of universities and other organizations, the handbook is an invaluable resource for students and lecturers in development studies, Latin American studies, cultural studies, human geography, anthropology, sociology, political science and economics, as well as activists and development practitioners.

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Research paper thumbnail of Ecología política en Chile. Naturaleza, propiedad, conocimiento y poder

La ecología política rompe el mito de la naturaleza como fenómeno prepolítico, destacando las nar... more La ecología política rompe el mito de la naturaleza como fenómeno prepolítico, destacando las narrativas hegemónicas que la producen discursiva y materialmente. Este enfoque cuestiona la forma de generar conocimiento sobre la naturaleza e interroga a los ganadores y perdedores en las relaciones entre ser humano y medio ambiente.
El libro introduce los principales temas de atención de la ecología política como son el poder, la propiedad, la naturaleza y el conocimiento, y los utiliza como lentes para mirar la realidad chilena. Cada tema se presenta a través de dos casos de estudio relativos a agua, bosque, salmonicultura, y conflictos como el caso CELCO y pewenche.
El libro, recoge investigaciones originales de académicos e investigadores nacionales e internacionales, con el propósito de entregar información a lectores interesados en analizar temas relacionados con sociedad y medio ambiente. También se ofrece como complemento para espacios académicos que quieran profundizar en los aspectos conceptuales y teóricos de la ecología política actual.
El libro constituye una contribución importante a las ciencias sociales para construir una agenda de investigación que ponga en diálogo los proyecto académicos con la justicia ambiental.

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Research paper thumbnail of Productive practices in Andean rural areas and their relationship to extractive markets (Atacama Desert, northern Chile, 1915-2019

Rural History, 2023

Extractivism has marked the history of Latin America whose operations are in rural territories in... more Extractivism has marked the history of Latin America whose operations are in rural territories inhabited mainly by indigenous populations. Mining has had a remarkable expansion in rural territories of the Andes. Critical studies of these processes have focused on the disruptive aspects and conflict between companies, local populations, and States. However, mining has also been intertwined with the territories based on contradictory relationships at different timescales. To examine this issue, we carried out a historical reconstruction of the productive practices of the Caspana community indigenous (northern Chile) and their different forms of connection with mining development. We combine diverse data sources and methodological approaches: oral histories obtained from ethnography, censuses, explorers' records, and academic literature. We identify different types of relationships over time, according to the different forms of indigenous participation in the extractive markets and the deployment and rearrangement of diverse economic strategies by the indigenous population.

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Research paper thumbnail of Mining Extractivism, Commodification of Nature and Indigenous Peasantry in the Atacama Desert The Political Economy of Yareta (Azorella Compacta) in Historical Perspective (1915-1960

Latin American Perspectives, 2024

Studies on the agrarian question in Latin America have dealt with the role of capital in the area... more Studies on the agrarian question in Latin America have dealt with the role of capital in the area of agriculture and forestry while paying scant attention to its role in other areas, such as mining. Research on mining extractivism, for its part, has privileged recent socio-environmental conflicts without delving into the configurations of social classes and labor relations as it relates to agriculture. This article integrates these topics, analyzing the connections between copper extractivism, the commodification of the yareta plant, and indigenous peasant labor. We studied the medium-upper basin of the Loa River, in northern Chile, where one of the most important copper mines in the world (Chuquicamata) has been operating since 1915. Using ethnography and bibliographic analysis, we provide an account of how the expansion of extractivism requires a mixture of properly capitalist labor relations mixed with customary Andean practices. The latter are subsumed by capital and have played a key structural role during certain periods.

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Research paper thumbnail of It’s time to talk about the hidden human cost of the green transition

Nature, 2024

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Research paper thumbnail of Desestabilizando la Geografía Indígena

ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 2024

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Research paper thumbnail of The Production of Empty Space and Deserts in the South-Central Andean Highlands

Land , 2023

Imaginaries serve as the foundational framework shaping representations and influencing societal ... more Imaginaries serve as the foundational framework shaping representations and influencing societal perspectives, subsequently guiding specific practices. Within the realm of geographical imaginaries, this article adopted a geohistorical perspective, using periodicals, secondary sources, and contemporary digital media to shed light on the geography of the highlands of northern Chile. Our objective was to emphasize the representations that have discouraged the occupation of these mountainous regions. Our findings revealed the emergence of a geographic imaginary that attributes desert-like qualities to the entire northern region of Chile, extending beyond the “unpopulated area of Atacama”. This misleading characterization fails to distinguish desert areas from the topographic variations existing between the Andes and the Pacific coast. These representations, which have translated into depopulation practices, have stigmatized the highland areas as synonymous with desolation and inhospitality, seemingly unsuitable for daily life, social production, and reproduction potential. Consequently, both spaces and individuals have been objectified for development, perpetuating the capitalist system as the dominant mode of production.

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Research paper thumbnail of Privatizing water in the Atacama Desert and the resurgence of Atacameño indigeneity

Privatizing water in the Atacama Desert and the resurgence of Atacameño indigeneity, 2023

Until the mid-1980s, the Atacameño indigenous people were broadly caricatured as Chilean peasants... more Until the mid-1980s, the Atacameño indigenous people were broadly caricatured as Chilean peasants or herders. In the 1980s, they began a process of resurgence as indigenous in order to attain legal recognition. Structural approaches to indigeneity have explored this phenomenon by seeing Atacameños as passive subjects whose identity has been imposed, fixed, or mediated by the law and by external actors (e.g. bureaucrats, intellectuals, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)). Problematizing these viewpoints, I argue here that Atacameños, rather than adopting indigeneity based on predetermined structural factors or instrumental motivations, are active agents in their resurgence and the articulation of their identity against cultural assimilation and extractive industries. Based largely on oral evidence collected from indigenous leaders and other key actors, I show that the dispossession and threats that the neoliberal Chilean Water Code brought to the Atacameños served as critical historical sediment for the resurgence and articulation of their indigeneity. The results problematize the hegemonic perspective that presents authenticity as a requisite for indigeneity and indigenous people as colonial power victims. Instead, Atacameños are situated agents who revived their identity within a broader process in order to challenge dominant structures concerning access to resources, principally water.

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Research paper thumbnail of Aporias of North/South political ecologies

Progress in Environmental Geography, 2023

In this intervention, we explore the impacts of geopolitical bifurcation on the field of politica... more In this intervention, we explore the impacts of geopolitical bifurcation on the field of political ecology, specifically the divide between political ecology from the Global North and political ecology from the Global South. We argue that this divide perpetuates categorical essentialisms, flattens authors’ standpoints, and reproduces inequities in how scholarship is valued and circulated based on where it is written from. These issues are not limited to political ecology alone but can be relevant to environmental geography as well. Through our analysis of the perpetuation of aporia in political ecology, we challenge the normalcy of this North/South differentiation and advocate for recognizing the agency and capacity of political ecology practitioners, regardless of their geographic location, language, or nationality, to shape the field. Drawing from our experiences as Latin Americanist political ecologists, we argue that trans hemispheric and polylingual projects that challenge power dynamics, create inclusive research processes, and recognize colonial legacies are crucial for more equitable and just approaches to addressing environmental and social justice issues. Furthermore, we examine the coloniality of institutions and technologies that move environmental knowledge as a commodity, such as uni- versities, indexed journals, publishing houses, and research funding criteria.

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Research paper thumbnail of Conocimiento ecológico tradicional en el Altiplano chileno: entre la variabilidad climática y la percepción local

Revista de Geografía Norte Grande, 2022

El norte de Chile, y particularmente el área de Precordillera y Altiplano, presenta unas condicio... more El norte de Chile, y particularmente el área de Precordillera y Altiplano, presenta unas condiciones climáticas caracterizadas por la aridez, pero no exentas de eventos de precipitaciones intensas y de temperaturas muy frías. En esta área se asientan comunidades aimaras desde tiempos precolombinos que han prosperado y desarrollado actividades agropastoriles pese a estas condiciones poco favorables basándose en la observación de indicadores naturales. A partir de datos de precipitación y temperaturas y de entrevistas semiestructuradas, se identificaron aquellos indicadores y cuál era el comportamiento climático/meteorológico que vaticinaban, en el caso de las poblaciones de Putre (Precordillera) y Caquena (Altiplano). Así, se identificó que estos indicadores naturales permiten adelantar con una determinada confianza el carácter húmedo o seco, o frío o cálido de una estación venidera, pero presenta determinadas limitaciones a la hora de predecir la ocurrencia de eventos extremos de carácter local. En ese sentido, este trabajo supone un buen avance a la hora de poner de relevancia el conocimiento tradicional de las comunidades andinas, que aparece como una muestra más de su valor patrimonial.

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Research paper thumbnail of Andean peatlands at risk? Spatiotemporal patterns of extreme NDVI anomalies, water extraction and drought severity in a large-scale mining area of Atacama, northern Chile

International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation, 2023

In the Andes, multiple human and climatic factors threaten the conservation of bofedales, a type ... more In the Andes, multiple human and climatic factors threaten the conservation of bofedales, a type of high altitude peat forming wetland widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical Andes. In northern Chile, climate change and water extraction for industrial activities are among the most significant threats to these relevant socio- hydrological systems hosting indigenous pastoral communities. In this study, we present an integrated anal- ysis of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) anomalies, drought severity and water rights granted to industry to provide insight on the conservation status of bofedales, historical drivers of their transformation, and current threats. Using Landsat satellite imagery from 1986 to 2018, we identify spatio-temporal NDVI changes of 442 bofedales in one of the leading copper producing regions of the world. The NDVI time series analysis over 32 growing seasons was used to detect extreme anomalies, i.e. values outside the 95 % of the reference frequency distribution, indicating periods of extreme changes in the productivity of these high Andes wetlands. To evaluate the relationship between bofedales NDVI extreme periods to drought and continued water extraction activities, we combine a climate-based multi-temporal-scale drought index (SPEI) with the geospatial latitudinal distri- bution of water rights granted for extractive industries in the study area. Over the time period of analysis, the total amount of granted water rights increased 465 % from 1,201 l/s recorded before 1985 to 5,584 l/s in 2018. In the areas where the highest amount of water rights are concentrated, i.e. between 21.3◦S and 22.1◦S, “green” bofedales (NDVI>=0.23) are practically absent. NDVI of the austral summer (JFM) was highly correlated with the severity of drought occurring during the three months of the growing season peak. While our findings show bofedal productivity is mostly influenced by precipitation and temperature of the wet season (JFM) during the study period, results also raise questions regarding possible bofedal loss occurring over the previous 80 years prior to the satellite record, wherein water extraction activities have significantly increased according to official records.

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Research paper thumbnail of The Volcanic Landscapes of the Ancient Hunter-Gatherers of the Atacama Desert Through Their Lithic Remains

Frontiers in Earth Science , 2022

Since ancient times Andean societies have formed an intimate relationship with volcanoes, the beg... more Since ancient times Andean societies have formed an intimate relationship with volcanoes, the beginnings of which can be traced right back to the initial peopling of the region. By studying rocks used for stone tools and other everyday artifacts, we explore the volcanic landscapes of early hunter-gatherer groups (11,500–9,500 cal BP) of the highlands of the Atacama Desert (22–24°S/67–68°W). Petrological classification of the lithic assemblages of three Early Holocene archaeological sites showed the procurement of a great diversity of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks, including pumice, granitic rocks, micro-diorites, a large variety of tuffs and andesites, dacites, cherts, basalts, obsidians, among others. Field surveys enabled us to detect many of their sources related to volcanic features such as craters, maars, caldera-domes, lava flows, probable hydrothermal deposits, and ignimbrites. In these places, we also document large quarry-workshops and campsites from different periods, indicating intense and repeated human occupation over time. By comparing the artifacts with geological samples collected in the field, it was possible to assign the source of origin of a large part of the archaeological assemblages. Our data suggest that the volcanic features of the Atacama highlands were integrated into the mobility and interaction networks of ancient hunter-gatherer groups at an early date.

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Research paper thumbnail of Toxic violence in marine sacrificial zones: Developing blue justice through marine democracy in Chile

Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 2022

Marine sacrificial zones are planned areas dedicated to the toxic violence of carbo-chemical port... more Marine sacrificial zones are planned areas dedicated to the toxic violence of carbo-chemical port development around the world. In the marine environment in Chile, repeated fisher led new social movements have been raised regarding the need to create laws controlling marine pollution from combined coal power station/extraction complexes and realise participatory blue epistemic justice. A series of case studies from across Chile demonstrate the importance of integrating fisher observations of contamination. Interviews and participatory GIS shows how fisher communities LEK

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Research paper thumbnail of Urban Heat Islands and Vulnerable Populations in a Mid-Size Coastal City in an Arid Environment

Atmosphere, 2021

Arica is a coastal city located in northern Chile, in the Atacama Desert. The behavior of surface... more Arica is a coastal city located in northern Chile, in the Atacama Desert. The behavior of surface temperatures in the city between 1985 and 2019 was studied using Landsat satellite images, leading to the identification of surface urban heat islands (SUHI), surface urban cold islands (SUCI), and average temperature zones. The higher intensities of the SUHI reach values of almost 45 °C and the SUCI lower values are below 13 °C. From the socioeconomic characterisation of the population based on indicators retrieved from the 2012 and 2017 population censuses, we identified that during the study period there was a lower presence of SUHI, but these were linked to spaces of lower socioeconomic level and, for the most part, would form new urban spaces within the city. On the other hand, SUCI had a greater spatial presence in the study area and in the urban morphology, being found mostly in areas of high socioeconomic level and in consolidated spaces with few possibilities of generating new ...

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Research paper thumbnail of The (not-so-free) Chilean water model. The case of the Antofagasta Region, Atacama Desert, Chile

The Extractive Industries and Society, 2022

Both supporters and critics of the Chilean water model have described it as a textbook example of... more Both supporters and critics of the Chilean water model have described it as a textbook example of deregulation and the free-market model for water management. In this article, we challenge this characterization and argue that the model has relied on long-term and highly centralized State decisions that have installed and reproduced historical power asymmetries. Based on archival research and historical records of water rights assignments and water-related legal instruments, we develop a comprehensive historical analysis of how water rights have been distributed over the last 100 years in one of the country's most paradigmatic cases: the Antofagasta Region. Starting seven decades before the military regime imposed the 1981 Water Code, our analysis reveals that water in this geographical area has historically been distributed through distinct State-driven strategies rather than market instruments, favoring mining companies. We conclude that the Chilean water model, rather than being a market-driven approach to water management, actually relies on strong regulations, and that the Water Code merely crystallizes centralized historical decisions regarding water distribution that support an extractivist development model.

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Research paper thumbnail of Reframing Pastoral Practices of Bofedal Management to Increase the Resilience of Andean Water Towers

Mountain Research and Development, 2021

Across the Andes, a critical challenge for mountain socioecological systems is securing water for... more Across the Andes, a critical challenge for mountain socioecological systems is securing water for future generations. Pastoral communities are especially vulnerable because their livelihood practices are often unseen or perceived as a threat to natural resource conservation. In addition to the challenges of climate change, socioeconomic and political processes complicate the drivers of pasture degradation and sustainable water management. Often overlooked systems in assessments of Andean water towers are bofedales (high-altitude peat wetlands), which are critical to supporting mountain pastoral livelihoods. While ''natural'' azonal mountain peatland and humid meadow development occurs across the Andes, we posit that bofedales are sociohydrological systems created through pastoral management practices over generations. Drawing on the results of applied research on bofedales across the Andes and a literature review of published papers, we present a conceptual reframing of bofedal typologies and change analysis, which prioritizes the role of pastoralists in interdisciplinary research and comparative assessments of land-use and land-cover change in Andean highland regions. We identified key socioecological challenges to sustainable bofedal management, related to herder decisionmaking and articulated within broader socioeconomic processes. Reframing bofedales as sociohydrological constructs permits the identification of actionable knowledge and the support of water conservation practices applied by pastoralists across Andean water tower regions. If Andean pastoralists are recognized as stewards of sociohydrological systems that are critical to water towers, rather than perceived as threats to natural resources, bofedal conservation planning may be prioritized and locally supported.

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Research paper thumbnail of Bofedal response to climate variability, local management, and water extraction: A case study of Chucuyo, Northern Chile

Journal of Mountain Science, 2022

Andean high-altitude wetlands are important ecosystems that serve a range of socialecological fun... more Andean high-altitude wetlands are important ecosystems that serve a range of socialecological functions. In the Andes, bofedales, a specific type of peat-producing wetland, are essential for the sustainability of mountain ecosystems and indigenous pastoralist communities. The Chucuyo bofedal in northern Chile is affected by climatic variability and water extraction for agricultural uses via the Lauca canal. Herders in the local community also actively manage this wetland according to their traditional ecological knowledge to ensure permanent fodder for their animals. In this article, we analyze the annual behavior of the Chucuyo bofedal after the wet season. Based on precipitation data, extracted water flows, vegetation vigor from satellite images, and an ethnographic approach, we determined that the bofedal's productivity was negatively correlated with the amount of precipitation and positively correlated with the surface area of the wetland. However, water extraction via the Lauca channel had no significant relationship with either surface area or vegetation vigor. We identify community practices and traditional ecological knowledge as key elements in the maintenance of these ecosystems. This situation is critical in the context of an aging population and the current pattern of migration out of the region to urban areas. The results provide substantial empirical evidence for future decision-making regarding the conservation of these ecosystems.

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Research paper thumbnail of La cuestión agraria y el cobre en la provincia de El Loa (1929/30 – 2006/07). Andes centro-sur, norte de Chile

Estudios Atacameños. Arqueología y Antropología Surandinas, 2020

La provincia de El Loa, habitada históricamente por población andina dedicada a actividades agríc... more La provincia de El Loa, habitada históricamente por población andina dedicada a actividades agrícolas, pastoriles y de intercambio, ha ocupado un lugar estratégico en la expansión del extractivismo cuprífero chileno y su inserción internacional. Ahí se emplaza Chuquicamata, la que fuera durante parte importante del siglo XX la mina de cobre más grande del mundo. Para avanzar en la comprensión de las transformaciones territoriales que produce esta actividad, efectuamos un análisis histórico-estructural de la agricultura de la provincia entre 1929/30 y 2006/07. Caracterizamos analíticamente las transformaciones agrarias de la zona relacionando su desenvolvimiento con la expansión de la gran minería cuprífera. Teóricamente, nos posicionamos desde el paradigma de la cuestión agraria, reproblematizado a partir de los estudios sobre el extractivismo. En términos metodológicos, usamos estadísticas descriptivas de censos agropecuarios para caracterizar la estructura agraria, y fuentes históricas y secundarias para comprender sus conexiones con la explotación cuprífera.

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Research paper thumbnail of Justicia ambiental en Chile, ¿la última oportunidad

Cuadernos Médicos-sociales , 2021

La condición climática global y la incierta situación socio-política nacional han propiciado nece... more La condición climática global y la incierta situación socio-política nacional han propiciado necesarios debates en torno a la relación entre economía política y naturaleza en Chile. En este artículo, hacemos una reflexión incorporando elementos teóricos y modelos empíricos chilenos para analizar brevemente el rol del conocimiento científico en el estudio interseccional de la naturaleza. La generación y aplicación de metodologías inclusivas reconoce que las relaciones de dominación por parte del capital y el patriarcado son parte del proceso de producción de la naturaleza. Una aproximación tradicionalmente excluyente e individualista impide el avance hacia alternativas de desarrollo que reconozcan o generen otros modelos basados en la defensa de la vida, humana y no-humana, en coexistencia estrecha con formas inertes.

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Research paper thumbnail of Mining, Urban Growth, and Agrarian Changes in the Atacama Desert: The Case of the Calama Oasis in Northern Chile

Land, 2021

Since the mid-twentieth century, Latin American rural territories have undergone sig- nificant tr... more Since the mid-twentieth century, Latin American rural territories have undergone sig- nificant transformations. One of the leading causes is the expansion of large-scale operations that exploit natural resources for world market exportation with low processing. In this paper, we study the changes in agricultural activities, livestock, and land use in the Calama oasis (the Atacama Desert, northern Chile) in relation to the growth of large-scale copper mining and other chained processes (urbanization and increased demand for water resources); based on a mixed methodology combining descriptive statistics, archival and bibliographic review, ethnography, and spatial analysis. We present the results through a historical reconstruction of the analyzed dimensions and their relationships, accounting for contradictory dynamics in time and space. We identify how mining and urban growth promote some agricultural and livestock activities under certain economic and political conditions, while in other contexts, these activities have been severely weakened, seeing increasing urbanization of rural land, rural-urban pluriactivity, and a growing deagrarianization.

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Research paper thumbnail of Understanding Bofedales as Cultural Landscapes in the Central Andes

Wetlands, 2021

Bofedales are azonal peat-forming wetlands located in the tropical and subtropical Andes at high ... more Bofedales are azonal peat-forming wetlands located in the tropical and subtropical Andes at high altitudes (approximately 3200-5000 m). Motivated by their socio-ecological importance, unique landscape qualities, and increasing vulnerability, scholars have developed a rich research agenda to better understand this ecosystem. We conducted an analysis of the various frameworks used to study bofedales through a systematic review of 119 key academic publications. We observed a range of bofedal naming terminologies, definitions, and descriptions of key threats that sometimes aligned with disciplinary, geographic, or linguistic distinctions between studies. Notably, though the majority of papers employed natural science methods, the social science and multidisciplinary studies were more likely to discuss the role of local communities in helping manage these ecosystems, though many researchers also highlighted the need for further study of these dynamics. This analysis, therefore, demonstrates the need to develop research modalities that are rooted in local contexts and which employ both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate and elucidate the complex human-environment dynamics that characterize these ecosystems. By documenting, we aim to support more robust research collaborations and to inform the development of research and conservation agendas that effectively support these landscapes and the myriad socio-ecological services they provide.

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Research paper thumbnail of Nature Is for Trees, Culture Is for Humans: A Critical Reading of the IPCC Report

Sustainability, 2021

In this article, we problematize conventional views regarding culture presented in the assessment... more In this article, we problematize conventional views regarding culture presented in the assessment report entitled Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. This report is a contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). We posit that when culture is seen as a stable category and imagined as a space composed of humans—and, more precisely, only certain humans—an epistemological, ontological, and ethical order is reproduced in which (a) nature is framed as a passive and apolitical “out there”, (b) knowledge based on this division is misleading and partial (e.g., social scientists study culture and natural scientists study nature), and (c) dominant humanist assumptions become common-sense explanations for inequalities. We conduct a critical discourse analysis of the IPCC report to better understand which assumptions produce the conceptualization of culture as a stable category. In our conclusion, we offer an example of a semiotic-meaning intervention of a section of the report to demonstrate the vitality of the concepts presented in this document. Subsequently, we discuss the consequences of omitting the vital traffic between the biological, social, and cultural realms from discussions on climate change to reexamine the production and reproduction of inequalities.

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Research paper thumbnail of Water Policy and Management in Chile

Encyclopedia of Water: Science, Technology, and Society, 2020

Pro-market models for natural resources management rely on the argument that markets would alloca... more Pro-market models for natural resources management rely on the argument that markets would allocate resources apolitically, ensuring individual freedom, directing them towards highest economic value uses and, thus, ensuring both efficient allocation and maximization of total social welfare within the contexts of scarcity. In the mid-1970s, the Chilean dictatorship initiated a comprehensive neoliberal reform to economic and social policies that followed this axiom. Because water is a critical resource for Chile’s economic development, the military government reformed the previous centralized system and imposed in 1981 a new Water Code known as a textbook example of a free market system for managing water resources. Since the 1990s, international development agencies, such as the World Bank, promoted market mechanisms and water privatization arguing that this strategy will ensure greater efficiency of water use, thereby stimulating social and environmental benefits. Within this context, water experts from these agencies have presented the ChileanWater Code as a successful model for water reforms. The goal of this entry is to provide the reader a general reference work about the main features of this model. In what follows, we briefly describe the imposition of Chile’s 1981 Water Code and its main characteristics, whereas in continuation we summarize the main arguments for and against it. Finally, we illustrate how the Chilean water model has operated on the ground by presenting four cases: two case-specific examples (The Loa River basin and the Copiapó case) and two general cases (hydropower and desalination). Final remarks are presented in the conclusions.

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Research paper thumbnail of Ecología política en (desde y por) Chile: posibilidades, desafíos y contribuciones

Las otras Geografías en Chile. Perspectivas sociales y enfoques críticos. Aliste, E. Núñez, A. y Molina. R (Eds.), 2019

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Research paper thumbnail of Latin American development: Editors’ introduction

The Routledge Handbook of Latin American Development, 2018

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Research paper thumbnail of Practicando costumbres y la desmercantilización de la naturaleza: el mercado de aguas chileno y los Atacameños

Recursos Vínculos y Territorios. Inflexiones Transversales en Torno al Agua, 2017

han investigado cómo las características biofísicas de los objetos a mercantilizar pueden con... more han investigado cómo las características biofísicas de los objetos a mercantilizar pueden con gurar los resultados de los procesos de mercantilización. En consecuencia, el establecimiento y comportamiento de un sistema de mercado se acerca más a una lucha política que a un proceso técnico simple y espontáneo. Al margen de sus aportes, estas perspectivas no se enfocan en la resistencia que presentan la exégesis cultural, la auto-identi cación y el vínculo afectivo entre humanos y no humanos a los sistemas de mercado. Este artículo muestra cómo los Atacameños han logrado alterar el modelo radical de gestión impuesto por la dictadura en 1981, mediante el respeto de sus valores culturales respecto del agua.
En algunas comunidades atacameñas, el mercado del agua no ha garantizado los derechos sobre el agua, sino que se privilegian los usos que generan mayor valor económico (p. ej. la minería o el consumo urbano). Aun así, en esas comunidades, las normas internas no sólo prohíben la venta de derechos sobre el agua a la minería, sino que también regulan la distribución del agua dentro de la comunidad de forma tal que impiden otras transacciones. Estas normas forman parte de una economía moral del agua, una ética concreta que se basa en los valores compartidos y los vínculos afectivos entre humanos y no humanos y que determina cómo el pueblo debe relacionarse con los demás en torno al agua. En conjunto, estas relaciones han desmercantilizado el agua y se han opuesto a la explicación neoliberal sobre cómo debería funcionar un mercado libre del agua.

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Research paper thumbnail of La Ecología (a)Política del Modelo de Aguas Chileno

Ecología Política en Chile. Naturaleza, Propiedad, Conocimiento y Poder, 2015

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Research paper thumbnail of Ecología Política en Chile. Naturaleza, Propiedad, Conocimiento y Poder

Ecología Política en Chile. Naturaleza, Propiedad, Conocimiento y Poder, 2015

Introducción al libro Bustos, B., Prieto, M. & Barton, J. (2015) Ecología Política en Chile. Nat... more Introducción al libro Bustos, B., Prieto, M. & Barton, J. (2015) Ecología Política en Chile. Naturaleza, Propiedad, Conocimiento y Poder. Santiago: Editorial Universitaria

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Research paper thumbnail of Hydroelectric power generation in Chile: an institutional critique of the neutrality of market mechanisms

The future of public water governance: Has water privatization peaked?, 2014

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Research paper thumbnail of El Nuevo Diseño de la Institucionalidad Ambiental en Chile

Camino al Bicentenario: Propuestas para Chile, 2007

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Research paper thumbnail of Subvaloración institucional de las cuencas patagónicas

Patagonia Chilena Sin Represas, 2007

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Research paper thumbnail of De las caravanas de la vida a la caravana de la muerte: aportes al pensamiento geográfico de “Tráfico de Complementariedad de Recursos entre las Tierras Altas y el Pacífico en el Área Centro Sur Andina” de Lautaro Núñez Atencio

Diálogo Andino , 2023

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Research paper thumbnail of Andean Waterways: Resource Politics in Highland Peru by Mattias Borg Rasmussen

Journal of anthropological research , 2016

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Research paper thumbnail of The Right to Water: Politics, Governance and Social Struggles edited by Farhana Sultana and Alex Loftus (eds). Earthscan, Oxon, 2012, pp. xvii + 262 (ISBN 978-1-84971-359-7).

Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography , Mar 5, 2015

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Research paper thumbnail of Arturo Escobar. Territories of difference: place, movements, life, redes

Revista de Geografía Norte Grande , 2010

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Research paper thumbnail of Informe Expansión de la Extracción de Salmuera en el Salar de Atacama

En el presente informe se presentan los resultados de un estudio preliminar de imágenes satelital... more En el presente informe se presentan los resultados de un estudio preliminar de imágenes satelitales sobre el proceso de expansión de extracción de salmuera en el Salar de Atacama (II Región de Antofagasta, Chile). Los resultados son: (1) un mapa que ilustra la expansión en el tiempo y en el espacio de las piscinas de extracción de salmuera durante el periodo comprendido entre los años 1985 y 2017; (2) una tabla con el cálculo en hectáreas de la superficie de estas piscinas.

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Research paper thumbnail of Los paisajes explosivos del desierto de Atacama

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Research paper thumbnail of RES 55. Transando el agua, produciendo territorios e identidades indígenas: el modelo de aguas chileno y los atacameños de Calama* Compromising Water, Producing Indigenous Identities and Territories: The Chilean Water Model and the Atacameño People of Calama

El Código de Aguas chileno de 1981 es un caso radical de libre mercado. En el desierto de Atacama... more El Código de Aguas chileno de 1981 es un caso radical de libre mercado. En el desierto de Atacama, los atacameños de la ciudad de Calama han movilizado su identidad indígena y la celebración de tradiciones dentro del contexto de la imposición de este código. Utilizando un enfoque de ecología política, en este artículo exploro cómo la reclamación de los atacameños en contra del modelo neoliberal de aguas está entretejida con el proceso de formación de identidad, tradiciones y el comportamiento del mercado. Para ello, estudio transacciones de derechos de aguas y realizo entrevistas a dirigentes urbanos. Los resultados permiten cuestionar la hipótesis de que en un libre mercado los derechos de agua fluyen hacia usos de mayor valor económico.

The Chilean Water Code of 1981 is a radical case of implementation of free market policies. In the Atacama Desert, the Atacameño people of the city of Calama have mobilized their indigenous identity and traditional celebrations within the context of the imposition of this code. Using a political ecology framework, in this article I examine how their claims, in opposition to the neoliberal model of water exploitation, are interwoven with the process of identity formation, traditions, and market behavior. For this purpose, I have studied transactions of water rights and conducted interviews of urban leaders. The results bring into question the neoliberal hypothesis that water rights flow towards the uses of greatest economic value within a free market.

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Research paper thumbnail of Reconstrucción histórica de las políticas públicas apícolas en Chile (1968-2022): transitando entre un Estado protagonista, el retiro estatal y la articulación público privada

Cuadernos de Desarrollo Rural, 2024

La apicultura a nivel mundial y en Chile es una actividad de gran importancia para la economía ca... more La apicultura a nivel mundial y en Chile es una actividad de gran importancia para la economía campesina, el resguardo de la flora melífera y la seguridad alimentaria, mediante los servicios de polinización. Por esto, organismos internacionales y Estados la consideran una actividad estratégica para el desarrollo rural, y, en concordancia, políticas recientes formuladas en Chile han suscrito parte de estas perspectivas. Por su parte, actualmente existen múltiples amenazas que afectan a las abejas melíferas y otros polinizadores, las cuales se expresan diferenciadamente en los países. En consecuencia, estudiar las políticas apícolas es de máxima relevancia. En este artículo, mediante el análisis de archivos y de fuentes bibliográficas, se efectúa una reconstrucción histórica de las políticas apícolas impulsadas en Chile entre 1968 y 2022. Se identificaron cuatro etapas de acuerdo con los diseños institucionales, las orientaciones temáticas y las escalas de aplicación. Se concluye planteando los principales desafíos detectados para el estudio de estas políticas en el país.

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