Unearthing Conflict: Corporate Mining, Activism, and Expertise in Peru

276 Pages·2015·2.043 MB·English

by  Fabiana Li

Unearthing ConfliCt

Unearthing ConfliCt
Corporate Mining, Activism, and Expertise in Peru
fabiana li
Duke University Press Durham and London 2015
Unless otherwise indicated, photos are by the author.
© 2015 Duke University Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America on acid-f ree
paper ♾
Designed by Heather Hensley
Typeset in Warnock Pro by Tseng Information Systems, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Li, Fabiana, 1976–
Unearthing conflict : corporate mining, activism, and
expertise in Peru / Fabiana Li.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-8223-5819-0 (hardcover : alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-8223-5831-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-8223-7586-9 (e-book)
1. Mineral industries—Social aspects—Peru. 
2. Mineral industries—Political aspects—Peru. 
3. Mineral industries—Economic aspects—
Peru. 4. Mineral industries—Environmental
aspects—Peru. 5. Mines and mineral resources—
Peru. 6. Social conflict—Peru. i. Title.
hd9506.p42l54 2015
338.20985—dc23
2014038000
Cover art: (from left) View of Cerro Quilish, from
the neighboring community of Tual, photo by author.
Opencast mine, Yanacocha Gold Mine, Cajamarca,
imageBROKER/Alamy.
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
introduction A Mining Country 1
Part i Mining Past and Present
chApter 1 Toxic Legacies, Nascent Activism 35
chApter 2 Mega- Mining and Emergent Conflicts 71
Part ii Water and life
chApter 3 The Hydrology of a Sacred Mountain 107
chApter 4 Irrigation and Contested Equivalences 143
Part iii activism and expertise
chApter 5 Stepping outside the Document 185
conclusion Expanding Frontiers of Extraction 215
notes 235
references 243
index 257

aCknoWledgMents
This book is the product of journeys between Peru, Canada, and
the United States, and the many people who marked the routes
traveled.
My work would not have been possible without the generosity
of community leaders, activists, engineers, company represen-
tatives, researchers, journalists, and ngo workers who took the
time to share their views with me and contributed to my under-
standing of mining controversies. In situations that were often
filled with tension and distrust, I am grateful to them for grant-
ing me access to archives, documents, meetings, and events. I am
especially thankful to the whole team at grufides, including
staff members, volunteers, interns, and friends of the organiza-
tion who were an integral part of my experience in Cajamarca.
In particular, my heartfelt thanks and appreciation go to Marco
Arana, Pablo Sanchez, Patricia Rojas, Mirtha Vasquez, Jorge Ca-
macho, Ofelia Vargas, and Ivette Sánchez. From my initial re-
search explorations in La Oroya and Tambogrande to later peri-
ods of fieldwork in Cajamarca, Anthony Bebbington, Denise
Humphreys Bebbington, Stephanie Boyd, Maribel Chavez, Mari-
luz Chavez, José de Echave, Hunter Farrell, and Martin Scurrah
shared their extensive knowledge and experience and were im-
portant sources of insight into extractive industries.
I am profoundly grateful for the kindness and generosity of the fami-
lies that welcomed me into their homes during my fieldwork. In particu-
lar, I thank Dolores, Rosario, José and María, Eriberto, Victor, Bremilda,
Samuel, Maritza, Gaby, and Miriam, and their respective families, for their
warmth and caring. A number of friends enriched my research and daily
life in Cajamarca and Lima: Gina Alvarado, Karin Anchelía, Maria An-
nala, Florian Aschinger, Victor Bardales, Fanny Briceño, Andrés Caballero,
Oswaldo Cepeda, Molly Clinehens, Daniel Cotrina, Ryan Culp, Nilton
Deza, Rosa Díaz, Nancy Fuentes, Alfredo Mires, Angélica Motta, Horten-
sia Muñoz, Brando Palacios, Milagros Salazar, Reinhart Seifert, Chiky
Tafur, Yorcka Torres, and Fátima Valdivia. I also thank my relatives in
Lima for their hospitality during my stays in the city, and Susan Vincent for
providing me with my first opportunity to explore the Central Highlands.
At the University of California, Davis, I was especially lucky to have two
exceptional mentors. I am grateful for Suzana Sawyer’s valuable feedback,
encouragement, and caring guidance throughout my graduate studies and
beyond. Marisol de la Cadena provided unwavering support, and her gen-
erous engagement with my work never failed to both challenge and in-
spire. Additionally, Ben Orlove’s wide- ranging knowledge and thoughtful
advice brought clarity and perspective and expanded my outlook beyond
disciplinary boundaries. Joe Dumit joined my dissertation committee
when this project had already taken shape, yet his insightful comments
were indispensable. Patrick Carroll, Alan Klima, and Tim Choy provided
helpful feedback at different points in the development of this project. I
would also like to thank the rest of the faculty of the Department of An-
thropology and the graduate students who have come through during and
after my time there for forming a supportive academic community.
The research for this book was made possible by the University of
California’s Pacific Rim Research Program and an International Disser-
tation Research Fellowship from the Social Sciences Research Council.
A Newton International Fellowship from the British Academy and the
Royal Society allowed me to carry out postdoctoral research on mining
conflicts in South America and work toward the completion of this manu-
script. I thank Penny Harvey for giving me the opportunity to work with
her in Manchester as part of the Centre for Research on Socio-C ultural
Change (cresc), and for her generous reading of previous drafts of this
manuscript.
viii | Acknowledgments
Many others have taken the time to read versions of papers and chap-
ters, and I have benefited from the insights of coparticipants in panels
and workshops where I presented my work, including the “Engaging Re-
sources” colloquium organized by Tanya Richardson and Gisa Weszkalnys,
the “Nature Inc.” conference in The Hague, and sessions of the American
Anthropological Association meetings. Special thanks to Mario Blaser,
Jessica O’Reilly, and Teresa Velásquez for their constructive feedback, and
reviewers for Duke University Press whose suggestions helped me to im-
prove the manuscript. Like any academic work, this book is necessarily an
unfinished story. I hope that other scholars of mining will continue to fill
in the gaps and omissions of my research.
Through many years, much traveling and numerous relocations, my
friends and family have been a constant source of encouragement, advice,
inspiration, humor, and companionship. I thank especially Esa Díaz- León,
Kregg Hetherington, Serenity Joo, Shawn Jordan, Amy Kung, Stephanie
Kwan, Bernardo Li, Claudia Li, Rossio Motta, Eric Nelson, Gowoon Noh,
Patricia Pinho, Rima Praspaliauskiene, Astrid Stensrud, and Leslie Wu.
Clinton Roberts came into my life as this book was nearing completion,
just in time for new beginnings.
The University of Manitoba has given me a supportive environment in
which to finish this work. I thank my colleagues in the Anthropology De-
partment and the larger university community, as well as students who
have taken an interest in my work and who invigorate my research through
the courses I’ve taught. As I prepared my book manuscript for publication,
I received support from the Dean’s Office at the Faculty of Arts, the Global
Political Economy Research Fund, and the Anthropology Department, as
well as research assistance from David Landry, Daniel Leonard, and Laura
Hubert. I also wish to thank Valerie Millholland, Miriam Angress, Susan
Albury, and Kathleen Kageff from Duke University Press for their help
at various stages of the publication process, and Brando Palacios, Elois
Eichenlaub, Bill Nelson, Laura Lucio, Clinton Roberts, grufides, and
CooperAcción for the images and maps included in the book.
Finally, I thank my parents, Luis and Graciela, for their patience and
support as I undertook what seemed like a never- ending and unusual
career path that led me back to the country they chose to leave. Their
hard work and constant search for new opportunities opened doors for me
to study, travel, and find my way back to Peru to carry out this research.
Acknowledgments | ix