Abstract
This article analyses how conflicts over land and water resources arose in Cerro de San Pedro, Mexico, when a Canadian mining company started an open pit mine in this municipality. We examine different positions in the conflict between the gold mine developer and local inhabitants, and how ambivalent national regulations and governmental bodies allowed a foreign company to operate
without the required permits. For scrutinizing the conflict we use the Echelon of Rights Analysis (ERA) framework: four layers of dispute are being distinguished, involving conflicts over: resources; contents of rules and regulations; decision-making power; and discourses. We discuss how the foreign company‘s
self-representation discourse as a socially responsible corporation contrasts with the environmental, political and social injustices it inflicts upon the local inhabitants, exacerbated by national policies and international trade agreements. Finally we argue that multi-actor, multi-scale alliances may offer
opportunities to foster environmental and social justice solutions.
without the required permits. For scrutinizing the conflict we use the Echelon of Rights Analysis (ERA) framework: four layers of dispute are being distinguished, involving conflicts over: resources; contents of rules and regulations; decision-making power; and discourses. We discuss how the foreign company‘s
self-representation discourse as a socially responsible corporation contrasts with the environmental, political and social injustices it inflicts upon the local inhabitants, exacerbated by national policies and international trade agreements. Finally we argue that multi-actor, multi-scale alliances may offer
opportunities to foster environmental and social justice solutions.
| Original language | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 169-188 |
| Journal | Cuadernos de Geografia |
| Volume | 101 |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 |