Anthropology of Global Climate Urgency
Doctoral Network
Fieldwork update by Matias Menalled - March 2025
My research focuses on human-water relations and environmental politics in a wetland in Corrientes, northeast Argentina. The province of Corrientes is an interesting study case because of its increasing importance in international trade and the centrality of the environment in the regional economy. The country's largest wetland, and the second largest in South America, is known as Esteros del Iberá. It is distinguished by marshes, lagoons and estuaries with permanent and seasonal waters, a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna, and daily interactions between populations and water-based activities.
Since the late 20th century, it has been designated a protected area to preserve and rewild the "natural" environment. However, the region has been subject to various forms of intervention, including government policies and infrastructure projects at both the national and provincial levels, as well as initiatives by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In addition, there have been productive projects carried out by public-private investment.
Environmental claims related to massive forest fires, pollution or biodiversity loss also emerge in different social spheres, such as youth activist organizations, NGOs, traditional political parties and the private sector. As might be expected, there are significant variations in the interests, objectives and methods of "nature conservation". When law is regarded as a socio-historical product in specific contexts, it is possible to analyse how "nature" and "environment" are new objects of juridification. In this sense, social research can help to understand how legal regimes are mobilised, used and produced, rather than approaching them as reified doctrines.
Simultaneously, individuals from rural areas who reside in the town or its environs, encompassing rural and forestry workers, local tourist guides, park rangers, small landowners and public authorities, engage with the wetland daily. The present study explores the local context to illuminate the human experience with environmental matters. It offers a nuanced perspective on the intricacies of socioenvironmental processes, the politics of nature and the expectations of enhanced economic development.
Contrary to the notion of a "natural and pristine" region, Iberá serves as a case study in contemporary history, where climate change emerges as a contentious and negotiated issue within the broader context of political, economic, and ideological struggles.
The present ethnography is grounded in Concepción del Yaguareté Corá, a small rural town designated as a "historical town" and one of the official entrances to the protected area.
In this context, the study analyses how local people are facing water and drought in the most relevant productive activities on the west side of Esteros del Iberá. Focusing on productive activities allows for the exploration of social and cultural structures, relationships and meanings as part of the ongoing production and reproduction of society. It also facilitates the examination of diverse perspectives, social positions and historical exchange processes of goods, ideas, technologies and moral values. An ethnographic approach to drought and water scarcity can offer a critical perspective that contributes to social studies of the environment and development. Furthermore, anthropology is well placed to stimulate profound reflection and concrete realities regarding the climate crisis and to promote social action aimed at reimagining new futures.
The mobilisation of diverse material relations with the environment by activities such as cattle ranching, forestry and tourism is a salient aspect of the region. Conversely, the socio-cultural implications of climatic variations, including drought, are demonstrated to be significantly diverse across rural livelihoods, timber machine operation and eco-tourism. The present inquiry into hydrosocality, therefore, seeks to elucidate the nexus between human-water interactions, environmental transformations, interventions in waterscapes and social practices in the context of climate change.
The central research question guiding this study is: How does the Iberá region engage with water and climate change? How do people experience droughts and water scarcity in a watery-scape? The overarching objective of this inquiry is to contribute to the anthropological understanding of crises, urgencies and futures in the contemporary world.
The methodology combines insight from traditional and innovative approaches in ethnography.
Since the initial stage of the research, an online ethnographic methodology has been used to approach the social phenomena under study. The purpose of this strategy is to recognise the main actors, government agencies, private companies and social collectives linked to water. Websites and social media profiles (mainly Instagram and Facebook) are analysed to gain knowledge about their content, public image, frequency of publications and updates, links with other profiles and discourse.
Classical fieldwork is conducted during nine months (June 2024 – March 2025). The production of first-hand data is based on participant observation, informal conversations and in-depth interviews.
A citizen and collaborative science perspective help to produce information on drought events and record the associated socio-environmental impacts. In addition, documentary, historical and journalistic sources, laws and regulations, and statistical records are considered as secondary sources of relevant material.
Research techniques related to the arts are integrated to capture the multiplicity of human-water engagements. In particular, visual approach through photography and video, but also the use of audio recordings (not only for interviews) and painting (watercolours). Non-academic formats and social media are used to share dissemination the working progress during fieldwork.
Conferences
• Presentation with Park Ranger Alejandro Moreira in Club de Naturaleza, November 2024, Loreto, Corrientes, Argentina. “Fuego, una herramienta”. Organised by Rewilding Argentina.
• Short video presentation in Global Dialogue Platform, October 2024, Berlin and on-line. “Fire as a Tool for Anticipatory Action” (Panel: Three-minute theses: research for anticipatory action's wicked problems). Organised by Anticipation Hub.
• Presentation in XXV Jornada de Turismo - III Jornada de Calidad, October 2024, Concepción del Yaguareté Corá, Argentina. “Antropología del agua y turismo emergente. Notas sobre historia ambiental, actividades productivas y encuentros en Concepción del Yaguareté Corá”. (Panel: Sello Correntino de Calidad Turística). Organised by: Facultad de Artes, Diseño y Ciencias de la Cultura - Universidad Nacional del Nordeste and Instituto Superior de Formación Docente Mbucuruyá.
• Contribution to Phantasm of Touché Visual Art Gallery at the 2024 Stockholm Anthropology Annual Roundtable, September 2024, Stockholm, Sweden. “Eucalyptus, forest waste and afterlife in Iberá. What possibilities exist for life to grow from waste?”. Organised by Johan Lindquist, Bengt Karlsson and Shi Yeu Nga.
• Presentation in SANT Conference, April 2024, Uppsala University, Sweden. “Human-water Relations, Drought Prediction and Climate Change in Agro-industrial Production of Wood and Rice in Esteros del Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina” (Panel 10: Improvising bodies and their encounters beyond the human). Organized by the Swedish Anthropological Association.
