Article ID: CBB025544137

Worlding hydropower: River realities in the Chilean Patagonia (2019)

unapi

Based on the case of HidroAysén, in this paper we discuss the different modes of existence of a hydroelectric project. Inspired by an ontological sensibility and the idea of worlding, we sustain that hydroelectric energy is embedded in, and is the source of, multiple worlds where different ontologies of water and energy meet, not always peacefully. Drawing on in-depth interviews and documentary sources, we identify three worlds or realities – yet not entirely autonomous – in which the HidroAysén project exists: the National Hydropower World, the Market Hydropower World, and the Sustainable Hydropower World. We argue that these three realities, through different ecologies, knowledge, and narratives, execute different parameters of reality and objectivity. Our final argument is that an ontological approach to analyze hydropower development and the conflicts that it has spurred can stimulate new ways of thinking about taken-for-granted assumptions, categories, and practices regarding the way hydropower is or might be produced.

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Authors & Contributors
Brossmann, Brent
Forsyth, Isla
Gelly, Alain
Götz, Roland
Hess, David J.
Hollin, Gregory
Journals
Social Studies of Science
Icon: Journal of the International Committee for the History of Technology
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine
Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society
American Historical Review
Environment and History
Publishers
University of California Press
University of North Carolina Press
Concepts
Energy resources and technologies
Hydroelectric power
Science and technology studies (STS)
Ontology
Dams
Public policy
People
Karen Barad
Time Periods
21st century
20th century
20th century, early
20th century, late
Places
Canada
United States
Brazil
India
California (U.S.)
China
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