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SUMMARY:The social and political life of Latin American infrastructures: I
 nsights from the Ecuadorian Andes - Geoff Goodwin\, School of Geography\, 
 University of Leeds
DTSTART:20230203T124500Z
DTEND:20230203T140000Z
UID:TALK192854@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Speaker to be confirmed
DESCRIPTION:In this talk\, I will draw on my research on water politics in
  Ecuador to reflect on The Social and Political Life of Latin American Inf
 rastructures\, a new cross-disciplinary book that I co-edited with Jonatha
 n Alderman. In the introduction to the book\, we build on the recent infra
 structure literature to argue that it is fruitful to conceptualise infrast
 ructure as a relational and experimental process. I will seek to show the 
 merit of this conceptual approach by analysing the construction\, maintena
 nce and development of water infrastructure by members of rural communitie
 s in the Ecuadorian Andes. Since the 1960s and 1970s\, rural highland comm
 unities have taken greater autonomous control of water sources and service
 s\, and this has involved diverse and creative interactions with various t
 ypes of infrastructure. I will argue that while this uneven process has be
 en beset by problems and conflicts\, it has created space for rural commun
 ities to reconfigure social and political relations and strengthen their c
 ollective autonomous capacity. I will conclude by reflecting on the specif
 icity of Latin American infrastructures and the gaps in the conceptual fra
 mework that we develop in the book. 
LOCATION:Seminar Room\, Department of Geography
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