Abstract

LOPEZ ECHAGUE, Camila. The Aratirí Project Case Of Open-Cast Mining In Uruguay: An Analysis Of A Scientific-Technological Controversy. Rev. iberoam. cienc. tecnol. soc. [online]. 2017, vol.12, n.36, pp.107-137. ISSN 1850-0013.

This paper explores the characteristics of how evidence was treated by the different parties implicated in the Aratirí Project open-cast mining controversy, which has been developing in Uruguay since 2011. Based on the theories about public scientific-technological controversies and the theory of risk framing, press articles and official publications are analyzed with the aim of detecting the different types of scientific-technical arguments at play and identifying the main parties' approach to the conflict. The findings show that the treatment of the evidence is conditioned by the various contextualizations of the controversy: an economic and technical focus from government and business, and a social-environmental one on the part of the environmentalists. This suggests the existence of a latent conflict, which is related to the different political and economic concepts adopted based on the desired development model. This means that the controversy transcends a mere technical debate.

Keywords : Scientific-technical controversy; Post-normal science; Open-cast mining; Uruguay.

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