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Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the political, social & material production of zones and boundaries of mining waste in Chile. I propose to qualify sacrifice zones as 'certain' spaces of development and commodity production, countered by practices and knowledges, political action, and transformative alternatives

Paper long abstract:

This article explores 'sacrifice zones': territories of degradation and socioecological injustice, caused by extractive operations and capitalist modes of production. I claim that the relevant literature has not explored the fact that they are defined as zones. Thus, this article explores the political, social, and material conditions that explain the production of semi-rural zones and boundaries of sacrifice, particularly those associated with mining waste. The case is the 'polygon of influence' of the potential collapse of "El Torito" dam, one of Chile's largest mining waste deposits. The polygon delineates the homes, land, and people that would be swept away by a tailings landslide. Its hard edges, based on technocratic "expert" knowledge, are at odds with the opaque methods used to design it, the lack of information and preparation for emergencies, and the errors in its design and implementation. This research extends the political ecology of extractive sacrifice zones, drawing on the literature on zones and borders and Scott's 'seeing like a state', which explores the interplay between centralised schemes of spatial order, and alternative, grounded, or improvised modes of knowing/living. I propose to qualify sacrifice zones as a 'certain' space underpinned by state-led development projects, global extractive pressures and 'green growth'. These hegemonic discourses and planetary circulations are made tangible through changes in land use, legal procedures, modes of governance and risk management measures. However, my findings suggest that these certainties are countered by multiple bottom-up practices and knowledges that lead to collective political action and transformative alternatives.