Socially Just Mining: Rethoric or Reality? Lessons from Peru (Synthesis Lectures on Engineers, Technology, & Society) - Softcover

Eric Feinblatt was the visual and audio documentary investigator of the IM4DC funded research project in Peru and the Forum for Mining and social justice held meeting at Casa Pueblo in Puerto Rico discused in this publication. Two of his video interviews―with Maxima Chaupe and family in Cajamarca and Melchora Suco Dimache in Espinar―are described and appear as links in this book. His work about the community impacts of mining were used as evidence in support of these human rights defenders. Mr. Feinblatt is co-founder, along with Caroline Baillie, and Director of Waste for Life, a U.S.-based non-for-profit organization.

Joel Alejandro Mejia is an assistant professor in the Department of Integrated Engineering at the University of San Diego. He worked as a metallurgical and project engineer for Rio Tinto and FLSmidth on different projects around the world, including mining operations in Peru, Mexico, and Zambia. His current research has contributed to the integration of critical theoretical frameworks and Chicano Cultural Studies to investigate and analyze existing deficit models in engineering education, and the development of critical consciousness among engineers. Dr. Mejia’s work, influenced by his previous work as a metallurgical engineer, also examines how asset-based models impact the validation and recognition of students and communities of color as holders and creators of knowledge. His work seeks to analyze and describe the tensions, contradictions, and cultural collisions many Latinx students’ experience in engineering through testimonios. He is particularly interested in approaches that contribute to a more expansive understanding of engineering in sociocultural contexts, the impact of critical consciousness in engineering practice, and development and implementation of culturally responsive pedagogies in engineering education.

Jordan Aitken graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2016 with Bachelors’ degrees in law and mining engineering. During the course of his studies, Jordan discovered a passion for international law. It was the confluence of international law and mining operations―in particular, their impact on surrounding communities―that formed the basis of his chapter in this book, which was authored during his final year of study. Since graduating, Jordan has worked in several roles across government, including in foreign affairs as an international lawyer, and more recently as an adviser to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment.

Rita Armstrong is an anthropologist whose postgraduate research was based on fieldwork in Central Borneo. She has since worked as a researcher on an ”Engineering Education for Social and Environmental Justice” project with Caroline Baillie, and has also taught across the disciplines of Engineering, Anthropology, and Geography around the issues of environment, conservation, gender, and development.

Vicki Bilro completed a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering and then a Master’s in Civil Engineering where her thesis topic investigated the impact of mining on rural communities in Peru. Following her studies, she is now working as a Site Engineer for a commercial construction company in Perth.