Abstract

GOMEZ LENDE, Sebastián. ¿Hoy igual que ayer? Minería metalífera y acumulación por desposesión en Argentina: Análisis comparado de los casos de La Mejicana (1902-1927) y Bajo La Alumbrera (1997-2019). Rev. Univ. geogr. [online]. 2020, vol.29, n.2, pp. 11-50. ISSN 1852-4265.

The relationship between metal mining and accumulation by dispossession is as old as capitalism. However, the expropriation dynamics of such economic activity have not always been the same, varying according to their different historical and geographical contexts. Taking this premise into account, this paper focuses on La Mejicana and Bajo La Alumbrera, which were the most important metal mines operating in Argentina at the beginning of the 20^th and 21^th centuries, respectively. Based on the categories of analysis proposed by academic bibliography, this article makes a comparative study of mechanisms of accumulation by dispossession at stake in each case in order to identify both, their similarities and differences. The results clearly show strong links between the primitive accumulation of the past and the current forms of dispossession, despite their contrasts on environmental and labor issues.

Keywords : Accumulation by Dispossession; Primitive Accumulation; Extractivism; Metal Mining; Argentina.