Presentation short abstract

Copper mining in the North of Chile is widely researched. However, not many have used a feminist political ecology framework to understand the issue of mining and extraction in Chile. In the context of a so-called energy transition, new methodologies are essential to shift the current paradigm.

Presentation long abstract

Chile is the largest copper producer, and the second largest producer of lithium worldwide. In the context of the so-called energy transition, critical minerals are gaining more attention. Historically, copper mining in the North of Chile has been widely researched. However, not many have used a feminist political ecology framework to understand the complex socioecological dynamics that take place in mineral extraction. My aim is to make visible stories from the peripheries of mineral extraction and question the dynamics involved in the energy transition. My grandparents spent most of their lives in mining settlements. Through ethnographic interviews, I will look into the missing links in between the extraction of raw material like copper and export. In particular, the cuerpo-territorio (body-territory) methodology (developed by feminist movements in Abya Yala, and popularized by Lorena Cabnal) will help me capture the socioecological implications when territories and bodies are subject to mineral extraction. I propose that without a feminist political ecology approach to the planetary crisis there is a risk of reproducing systemic injustices. Focusing on the narratives, micro-politics, the daily tasks, the common activities, and the differences embodied in mining settlements can help us have a more comprehensive approach to extractivism, the so-called energy transition, and its impacts on the Global South.