Environmental conflicts and social responses: the case of re-etnification of the community Quillagua

Authors

  • Bernardita Mc Phee Torres Universidad de Chile

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationship between environmental problem caused by pollution and pressure of mining companies in the basin of the middle of the river Loa, and the emergence of the indigenous community of Quillagua. This situation shows the emergence of an environmental conflict, reinforced by the legal possibilities and international backing provided by the fact of being indigenous. It is also proposed that ethnicity emerges in the current society as a tool of control and therefore the processes of ethnification or re-ethnification are part of an strategic and instrumental dynamic.

Keywords:

Environmental conflicts, society, indigenous communities, ethnification, Quillagua

Author Biography

Bernardita Mc Phee Torres, Universidad de Chile

Diplomado en gestión socio-ambiental, complejidad y sustentabilidad, Universidad de Chile