Manuel Mendez Postdoctoral research

Présentation

I am a researcher specializing in the historical geography and political ecology of extractive industries in the Andes, with a focus on the socio-environmental impacts of mining in the Atacama Desert. My work explores how natural resources have been produced and contested from the 19th century to the present, fostering dialogue between history, anthropology, geography, and landscape archaeology.

I received my PhD in History (Université de Rennes 2, France) and Anthropology (Universidad Católica del Norte, Chile) in 2023, following a master's degree in Geography from Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3. I have held teaching and research positions at the University of Tarapacá and the University of Chile, and collaborated with the Danielle Mitterrand–France Libertés Foundation at the United Nations in Geneva on water-related conflicts between Indigenous communities and mining companies.

From 2023 to 2024, I was a postdoctoral fellow at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. I am currently leading a FONDECYT Postdoctoral Project (2024–2026) that examines the historical socio-environmental impacts of industrial mining in the Loa River basin, Chile, and the broader Atacama Desert. Alongside this work, I contribute to international research collaborations that compare mining territories in the Andes with other extractive frontiers around the world.

Publications

Article dans une revue (8)

Harnessing the flow: Mining, water, and energy in the Loa River basin (Chile, 1879–1956) Manuel Méndez,Damir Galaz-Mandakovic Journal of Historical Geography, 2026, 91, pp.134-146. ⟨10.1016/j.jhg.2025.11.013⟩ Article dans une revue hal-05502646v1
Genealogy of mining territories in the Atacama Desert: The production of modern waterscapes in Tarapacá region, northern Chile (1853–1924) Manuel Mendez The Extractive Industries and Society, 2021, 8 (1), pp.111-122. ⟨10.1016/j.exis.2020.05.003⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02932299v1
Tele-production of miningscapes in the open-pit era: The case of low-grade copper, Bingham Canyon, US and Chuquicamata, Chile (1903–1923) Manuel Méndez,D. Galaz-Mandakovic,M. Prieto The Extractive Industries and Society, 2021, 8 (4), pp.100830. ⟨10.1016/j.exis.2020.10.013⟩ Article dans une revue hal-03122747v1
Production of subterranean resources in the Atacama Desert 19th and early 20th century mining/water extraction in The Taltal district, northern Chile Manuel Méndez,Manuel Prieto,Milton Godoy Political Geography, 2020, 81, pp.102-194. ⟨10.1016/j.polgeo.2020.102194⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02570380v1
Territorios hidrosociales en las geografías altoandinas del Norte de Chile: modernización y conflictos en la región de Tarapacá. Manuel Méndez,Hugo Romero IdeAs : idées d'Amérique, 2020, Eau et gestion de l'eau dans les Amériques, 15, 28 p. ⟨10.4000/ideas.7512⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02519287v1
Législation néolibérale et privatisation de la nature : L’irréversible assèchement des zones humides andines (nord du Chili) Manuel Méndez,Hugo Romero Études rurales, 2019, 203 (1), pp.126-146. ⟨10.4000/etudesrurales.16320⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02282576v1
“Apenas tenemos el agua suficiente para nuestras máquinas”: Estado, minería y tecnologías hídricas en el desierto de Atacama Taltal, 1870-1930 Milton Godoy Orellana,Manuel Méndez Caravelle. Cahiers du monde hispanique et luso-brésilien, 2018, 111, pp.25-40. ⟨10.4000/caravelle.3624⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02507217v1
Construcción de los territorios altoandinos de Tarapacá, norte de Chile. Reflexión conceptual desde una perspectiva histórica-geográfica Manuel Méndez,Hugo Romero Revista Chilena de Antropología, 2018, Capitalismo en el desierto: materialidades, espacios y movimiento, 37, pp.183-196. ⟨10.5354/0719-1472.2018.49495⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02507207v1

Communication dans un congrès (9)

Geo-archaeology of miningscapes in the Atacama Desert: The sociomateriality of water during the nitrate mining boom, Tarapacá-Chile (1853-1930) Manuel Méndez American Association of Geographers (AAG) 2021 Annual Meeting, Apr 2021, Seattle (Virtual), United States Communication dans un congrès hal-03222901v1
“Good” and “bad” water. The entanglements of capital, state, and science in the commodification of the Atacama waters, northern Chile (19th and early 20th centuries) Manuel Méndez Nuestra América: Justice and Inclusion, Latin American Studies Association, May 2019, Boston, United States Communication dans un congrès hal-02507416v1
The production of miningscapes in the open-pit era. The case of low-grade copper: Bingham Canyon, U.S.A., and Chuquicamata, Chile (1903-1923) Manuel Méndez,Damir Galaz-Mandakovic,Manuel Prieto EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT: PRODUCTION, POLLUTION AND PROTEST FROM A GLOBAL AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, University of Oxford, Dec 2019, Oxford, United Kingdom Communication dans un congrès hal-02507433v1
Entanglements of space and time in mining territories of Northern Chile. Theoretical and methodological approaches in the study of water conflicts under the nitrate mining cycle (1853-1925) Manuel Méndez American Associations of Geographers (AAG) 2019 Annual Meeting, Apr 2019, Washington, United States Communication dans un congrès hal-02507378v1
Enlightenment of subterranean resources in the Atacama Desert. The 19th century mining/water extraction in Taltal region, Northern Chile (~25° S). Manuel Méndez,Milton Godoy Orellana AAG Annual Meeting, American Association of Geographers, Apr 2018, New Orleans, United States Communication dans un congrès hal-01944946v1
Genealogy of mining territories in the Atacama Desert. The nitrate/water extraction in Tarapacá District ~20°S, Northern Chile (1853-1925) Manuel Méndez Socio-Environmental trajectories of mining territories (TRAMIN), Oct 2018, Chambéry, France Communication dans un congrès hal-01944964v1
Capitalism, state construction and water modernization in the Atacama Desert, north of Chile (XIX century). Manuel Méndez Latin American Studies Association 2018, May 2018, Barcelona, Spain Communication dans un congrès hal-01944955v1
Explotación del salitre y modernización de los territorios hídricos del Desierto de Atacama (1853-1924): Análisis geo-histórico del conflicto por el agua en el valle de Quisma, norte de Chile. Manuel Méndez XIII Reunión de Historiadores de la Minería Latinoamericana, Apr 2017, Buenos Aires, Argentina Communication dans un congrès hal-01944929v1
Modernización del agua y commodificación. Análisis comparativo de dos conflictos por el agua en el desierto de Atacama: Valle de Quisma 1886 y Pampa Lirima 1981-2008. Manuel Méndez II Congreso Latinoamericano de Ecología Política, Nov 2017, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile Communication dans un congrès hal-01944926v1

Poster de conférence (1)

Springs, “Donkeys” and Pumps. Entanglements of discourses and materialities in hegemonic waterscapes of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile (19th and early 20th centuries) Manuel Méndez 2019 Political Geography Specialty Group Preconference, Apr 2019, Washington, United States Poster de conférence hal-02507391v1

Chapitre d'ouvrage (1)

Understanding Social Recognition of Cooperatives from a Bourdieusian Perspective: The Cases of Kalkbreite in Zurich (CH) and Exeter Street Hall in Brighton (UK) Gaelle Cotterlaz-Rannard,Manuel Méndez Cooperatives in an Uncertain World, Springer International Publishing, pp.345-365, 2024, Contributions to Management Science, ⟨10.1007/978-3-031-56200-6_17⟩ Chapitre d'ouvrage hal-05502657v1