“Indigenous Cultural Activism against Lithium Mining in the Andes”

The Andean salt flats of Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia are emerging as new mining sites in the race for the energy transition. Many salt flats are located in the Puna de Atacama, a desert region bordering all three countries. This region has been targeted by transnational corporations competing for lithium. In this presentation, I will examine different modes of cultural activism employed by the Kolla and Atacama Indigenous communities.