Territorialities and Social Representations Superimposed on the Water vs. Gold Dichotomy: The Socio-Environmental Conflict over Industrial Mining in the Santurbán Moorland

Abstract

The Santurban moorland (Colombia) is a biogeographic space with mining, water, and biodiverse potential, which forms a framework of social, political, and economic disputes. This article analyzes the representations of water and gold, and the superposition of the territorialities of the different social groups (Santurban population, Bucaramanga population, foreign company, and State) in 2011 as an effect of the socio-environmental conflict over industrial mining in the moor. To do this, it carries out an exercise in narrative interpretation of semi-structured interviews with residents and social groups in the municipalities of Vetas, California, and the city of Bucaramanga, who argue the importance of water and gold in their daily lives. The population of Santurbán conceives water as fundamental for its existence and the gold for its economy, traditions, and culture. Meanwhile, for the population of Bucaramanga, the representation of water is related to environmental ethics. This overlap triggers previously invisible conflicts between two neighboring populations that have jointly benefited from the moorland.