Konfliktivität und Territorium: Reflexionen über Bergbaukonflikte in Argentinien

Abstract

Schlüsselwörter: Argentinien, Konflikt, Territorium, Staat, Bergbau

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Conflict and Territory. Thinking about Mining Conflicts in Argentina.

Abstract

Throughout the last years, the arrival of big mining projects in Argentina  has sparked important conflicts and resistance in, up until now,  unexplored cities and towns. This article argues that these circumstances have modified experiences of space. It suggests that not only does  territory become filled with conflict, but also that conflict becomes  impregnated with territory. Taking this analytical framework, the article  proposes an approach in order to explain the emergence of territorial  disputes from two different plot lines. The first line of inquiry refers to the particular nexus between territory, capital, and the state, which sustains a certain ideological and symbolic definition of space. The second line of inquiry recounts social struggles as instances of dispute with the nearest powers. Social struggles are frequently inscribed by the contradictions  between territory, capital, and the state, but in their clear antagonism to  dominant discourses, they also test and challenge the symbolic  construction of space. This paper’s insights come from the authors’ empirical research in Argentina over the last four years.

Keywords: Argentina, conflict, territory, state, mining