Mapping mining’s temporal disruptions: understanding Peruvian women’s experiences of place-attachment in changing landscapes

Abstract

Abstract The importance of mining temporalities and gendered impacts of mining activity are receiving increasing academic attention. This article contributes to these debates by addressing the impacts of large-scale mining activity on women’s sense of place-attachment and landscape, focusing on Cajamarca, Peru, home to the Yanacocha mine since 1993. Using women’s hand-drawn maps representing ‘sites of change’, the article critically examines the various ways in which women communicate mining as deeply affecting their everyday lives in gendered ways. This mapping method tapped into emotional connections to place and local landscapes, and by incorporating stories and maps of both women opposing and supporting further mining expansion in the region, the article goes on to show that both groups share an understanding of the Yanacocha mine as a disruption of time and place.