Ne ARCHAEOLOGY & [ome NEOLIBERALISM The contents of tls book ate protected by law, Iti forbidden to reproduce any of them ‘or commercial purposes, ctherise, permission is granted for educational uses, Foray other guar Contact the ear at wan jasarquedlogia es First eatin: December 2018, © €6ton JAS Arqueologie SLU. Plaza de Mondare 6 28029 Mac Spain ww asarquecigi.e8 Evo: Jaime Almansa Séneher Correaton: Jason Sanjeev Ganesan Arg Eos. wwwargoeds com) (© Texts and images: Ison: o7@eeocesee-71 Depésto Legat M-43745-2018, Pred ty: Sere Pit vewesercspome, Edited by: ‘moreso y echo en Espa Prete an made n Span Pablo Aparicio RescoSS a seaneceNRenegeNRRETRECRNRAINO ANTES TABLE OF CONTENTS |. Preface, Pablo Apariclo Resco. 2, From Pay-Per-View to Pay-Per-Publish, on the Commodliizalion of Academic Publishing. Jaime Almonso Sénches, 3. Archaeology and Capitalism. Juan Monvel Vicent Goce 4 Professional Archaeology In Spain: A {Qualtative Synthesis. Kiae! Soler Rocho. 5. Together Hand in Hand Towards Extinction: The Potimonial (Neolberal) Guardianship of Rural Communities. Xurxo M, Ayn Vil y José Mt. Sefordn Most, 4, Consuming the pas, Digesting dently: When the past Becomes a Product. Antonio Vizcaino steven. 7 Nelther Ethics nor Excellence: The Wreck of Neolfberal Archaeology in Spain. Aicio Tor, 8. Economic Persvation and insttional Ceremenies Trough the Cataciysm of Spanish Contact Archaeology Case. Eve Pargo-Dans. 9. In Need of a Transtusion? The Humanities and Society, and Vice Versa, Sect Comendodsr.10. Archoeologles of the Present and ‘Museums ofthe Fulute, or How to Open up the Relationship Between Hertoge and he Common Good. Anion Lotuente y Por Sastre |. From Home Care to Advertising Poster: On Neollberal Thinking and Gender Archaeology, Alfonso Monsoive Romer 12. Migrant Archaeologists Facing 21s! Century Neoliberalism. Pero Conster, 13.the Place of Archaeology in Late Copitalsm: The Shuclure of Violence inthe Disciplinary and Post-discptinary Phases of Archaeology. Alsioncro Haber. 14, Archaeology and Neoliberaism In Perl: An Approach. Henry Tartotedn, 15. Suburban Revolution: A Note on ‘Archaeology and Neollberal Capitalism in the Mexican Megalopolis. Juan Reynal Bisiano, Tonchez y Juan José Guerere Garcio, 16, Archaeology and neoliberal ‘multiculturalism in Chile. Patricia Ayla Rocabado, 7. Welcome to the Desert ofthe Real: Indushy ‘ond Capital inthe Atacama, 1880-2015. Fora Vienes 18. Archaeology and Natural Resource Exploltation in Uruguay n the Framework of Developmentalism and Neoliberal Globalization, Gustavo verdeso, 9, How | Learned the Law ofthe Market Lowent Ofvier, 109 131 13 61 7 91 208 23 20. Archaeology Without the Senses: Anaesthesia and Capitalism. 1osé Roberto Palin. 21. The End of History and Polsh Archaeology ‘fier the Fall of Communim. Dowis Kobiokea 22, Under the Umbrella of Neoliberallsm: Iranian Archaeology and the Reduction of Cltral Divessly. Laie Popol Yozal y Oven Gorathin. 23, Caught in a Business Scenario: plications ‘of Neolberalsm on Archaeological Herilage ‘Management in he Netherlands, Wonave von den Dies. 24. New Managerial Skategles in Bish ‘Commercial Archaeology. Nicolas Zorn. 25. Neoliberalsm and Archaeology in Germany, Ure Sommer y Marin Seria 26. The Challenge of Neoliberalsm and ‘Archaeological Hestoge in Turkey: Protection for Destuction? Veysel Apayain 27. Epllogue: Archaeology as Pollical Action, Randall H. MeGuit, Biblography ‘About the authors 239 29 263 a 297 ow 34! 353 3017, Welcome to the desert ofthe real - Fira Vices 18. ARCHAEOLOGY AND NATURAL RESOURCE EXPLOITATION IN URUGUAY IN THE FRAMEWORK OF DEVELOPMENTALISM AND NEOLIBERAL GLOBALIZATION otter the collopse, as Hollywood revived the "epic sto: Ty’ with Antonio Banderas and Juiette Binoche in “Los 33." Chile sil hed not yet ratfied the ILO Convention on ‘Mine Heatth and Safety, Insucha context, archaeology can providea strong, frm voice that clearly porirays the alternate universe of those inhabitants of the open pampa. Today. suocon: tractor disputes are silenced with substantial bonuses fr 15 minutes of fame. We con only hope that, within that false consciousness (sensu Althusser 1971) of con: sumerism that the capitals! ideotogy imposes, these Contemporary workers are Tkewise able—os a form fesstance—to leave indelible traces that bear wit 10 their real stote of vuinerabilly Gustavo Verdesio The relationships between archaeology and moder rity, capitalism, market logic, neolloeraism, and even primitive accumulation have been discussed rigorously in recent years, both in the counties af central capi falsm and those in the periphery. The arguments put forward by the authors who have dealt withthe subject ‘are sold, Convincing, and of considerable explanatory power Some, such as Andiés Zorankin and José Roberto Pelini, have studied how orchaeology especialy in the case of Brazi) increasingly depends on the logic of the market, Others, such as Marcio Sezerra, have paid tention 10 the production pracess of knowledge un derstood as merchandise and to the practices of con- fract archaeology that favour, above all those interes- ted in obtaining an economic profit, Nicolas Zorin ond Yannis Hamiiaks, from different perspectives, have de: voted part of their energies to cilicsing the subjection Jot archaeology to the logic of capital. Patricio Ayala Rocabado hos emphasised the relationshio between chaeology. multiculturairn and neoliberaiism, while wrence D. Berg has dedicated himself to the rela jonship between noming, neolberaiism, ond the dis sSession of lands suffered by the nativesin Conada— ings and Marina Lo Salle do something sim 21318. Archoeology anc Natural Resource... Gustavo Verdesio ‘Archaeology & Neolberoism lor when they demonstrate the complicity of archaeo. mic model based on extractivist practices is quite wi logy with State bureaucracies and the dispossession Gespread in the region. In its favour the State's need different ethnic groups. Others, such os Alex Herrera fo nove its own energy resources for the sake of an’ have prefered fo focus on the relationship between independence that is based on nationalist discourse hertage and development, while Wihelm Londo’ ‘and values isinvoked. Its aso argued that the extrac hos devoted himsal to cricsing contract archaeciogy fion of natural resources is crucial for the pursuit of a (98 cn aly of developmental dscousses and practices 900! that cimost all Sates in the contemporary word in Colombia. seem 10 pursue: development, be it economic or hy Many voices, then, oppose those of contract or man. Hence, it's not uncommon to see cifferent coun: chaeologists, who practice an archaeology that 1s fies Seeking 10 move up in the rankings produced by Closest to tne principles and valves of internation: reports ond studies conducted by the United Nations pitalsm. It is understandable that this is so, given the Development Program (UNDP) ond other international fenormous damage done fo various social actors when ‘agencies. the predatory and expropriating action of intemotio: ‘Uruguay, @ country whose ciizens like to think of ral Capital represented by mining ond oil companies themselves as special or different, isin fact a real ex: islegitimised, of by the carrying out of such projects 0: ‘ception in one regard there ore no subsoll exploitations {gos and iton pipelines. But there are also many reser ‘or environmental disturbances ike the ones that prolife: cchers who defend this type of archaeology, cleiming {rate throughout the continent. There are, though, other that thanks to the funding it provides it becomes poss kinds of works, such as the construction of roads, elec: ble to excavate and study places that have previously frical wing {inclucing the construction of towers and not been studied, or to revisit those that have, Other: fother structures) of af least in he past, the construction preter to point out the benefis that come from the [of hydroelectric dams such as Salo Grande. Of cour Creation of labour for qualified archaeologists. in plo: se, all these infrastructure works, typical of any modern es like Colombie and Braz (to cite oniy Latin Ame: icounty, create environmental and social disturbances fican countries), while others emphasise the increase 3f thelr own, But these are not comparable to those: Of funding that this type of archaeology generates in sneroted by mage-mining or fracking projects, which societies where such sources are not abundant (Ratto, fen result in social and ecological disasters of eno Piazzini Sel6rzano, Caceres Roque, Westial, ond many 10Us consequences. others), Although foxmer president José Muli tried to force: It's very commen, then, hatin countries rich with no- ly introduce, along with severat of his collaborators, tural resources, such as ol or natural gos. prospecting Nd with the support of the four parties with parfamen- projects oceur before the exploitation of such wealth Fy representation, open-pit mega-mining in Uruguay It is rare for @ Latin American stote to see this kind of fen entering into negotiations with the mining com- possiblity with an evil eye: on the contrary, the econo: ny Arar, the opposition that this generated was a ais 2a18 Archaeology and Natural Gustave Verdesio permanent headache for him and the company. The idea was to develop © mega project that would cover vost extensions of land in the depariments of Treinta y Ties, Florida and Durazno, The mobilisation of significan segments of the population put a brake on Mujca’s mi. ning aspirations and everything seems to incicate that his successor, Tabaré Vazquez, will not Iry fo do some: thing simiar—which, of course, is no guarantee that he will Rot propose similar projects in the future. ‘Ao, oil exploration is « hope of Uruguayan politica! leaders, who have signed a contract with the Austr: lian oil company Schuepbach Energy to explore Uru ‘guoyan subsoil, specifically in the departments of Salto {and Tocuoremb6. The problem, according to Leticia Sénchez (2015), is inat the Uruguayan state-owned en tity responsiole for regulating and managing the use ‘ond production of fuels in Uruguay, Administracién No clonal de Combuslbles. Aicoholes y Portiang (ANCAP). hos not informed the population that Schuepbach i seeking both conventionally exploitable resources, and those that are obtained by hydroulc fracturing, which hos quite dire consequences for the environment. For now, however, there Is no official news that any type fof hydrocarbon hos been found in the prospected ‘oreos—which does net mean that this wil not happen in the future, since ANCAP has signed a contract with ‘another company (Petina SA) that would be in charge of the exploration and the possible exploitation of ol {Sanchez 2015). But even if this company failed (as Ar gentina’s YF did inthe post) in its cttempts, the fact is that the poitical-economic climate of the country ang the region suggest that the Uruguayan state (as per sucded os its neighbouss by developmental narrat- ves) will continue to seek weatth in its subsol or, fil 216 Archaeology & Neolberalsn that, in the open. For the time being, then, the infrastructure works that are cortied out in Uruguoy are of the least cala milous varely, as | pointed out above, So the rescue ‘archaeology that is carted out there is dissimilar from that in other Latin American counties, where oll oF mi ning companies are response for the costs of ciag- nestics, prospecting ond excavation proper in the un- derstanding that the one who couses the damage is responsible for the costs involved in the archaeological fescue corried out by contracted professionals. In Uru ‘guoy, therefore, the rescue work is usually financed by state-owned companies. Tris type of financing has, although some authors such as Carlo Emilio Plazzini deny it, very different cha acteristics ond consequences from the ones that ‘emerge from private funding from companies tnat ore governed by market logic—that is, by that hand that ;neoliberal economists like to imagine os invisible. | say this because, while itis rue that state-funded projects may have the same developmental or capitalist values fas those fnanced by a prvate enterprise, the tuth is hot the values and behaviouss fostered by each of these two frameworks diferina very fundamental way. To clatly this, let us briefly discuss the reports produced by a series of rescue projects financed by the Uruguc: yan stote, Laura Beovide and Marcela Caporale (2003), in. an ficle on the rescue work they Catfied out in an area18. Archaeology and Natixal Resource... Gustavo Verdesio archaeclogy & Neolberaism close to the lower basin of the Santa Lucio River, clearly fion, sustainable development, heriage management ‘admit the negative effects urban and economic deve: plays @ ole in mitigating the most harmful effects of de- lopment of the region have on the archaeological ne- Nelopment, assuming iris inevitable. What it does not fitage {13}. This rescue had to be carried out because: 0 is question the ideo of development itsell. Even so, the state-owned Administracién Nacional de Usinas y this type of enterprise, financed and supported by the Trasmisiones E¥éctricas (UTE) planned to build o thermal slate and its legislation, has several advantages over ower pont and install about $0 high voltage towers the contract arenaeciogy that is developed in the pr- (19), Pernops the most imoortant achievement of ths vote sphere, Fist of al, the interests of neoliberal copi- rescue from the perspective of crchaeological record talsm (that hinder any attempt to preserve orchaeo- conservation was that the stote followed the recom logical heritage) do not inform the activities of resear- ‘mendations listed in the investigation, and decided to ‘chefs inked fo this type of projects. As Caporale (2012) change the installation sites of some of the towers so as Tepors in o diferent article, interventions funded by tonot destroy the archaeoiagicalheritage (19). This de- mining companies that expiolt existing sond reserves in serves to be highlighted because, generally speaking, the coastal oreas not only endanger heritage, but also when one speaks of rescue, one thinks of situations in foke advantage of « lack of relevont legisiation (and which the destruction of the archaeological record is state cuitural policies} to manage and protect here imminent ond inevitable—tnat is to say, rescue Inves- {ge- in order to continue their activitiesin the aves (130) tigations ty to obtain as much information os possible The interests of capitol and that of knowedge produ- from sites nat are going to be destroyed anyway. But ‘cers who become archaeological heritage detenders thot did not happen in this case, thanks to the sugges ‘a, in cases such as these, diamettically opposed. tions of the researchers, which can be thought of as @ Defending hettage becomes a lot more dificult truly preventive action. But ths, Beovide and Coporaie when archaeologists werk for private componies [such point out, wos not the only beneft from the rescue: It ‘eminmig or oleemponies), becouse they are contrac- ‘Also produced new academic knowledge, for it offe {ually bound to favour the interests of the employers red evidence of human occupation that dates back (Jofré 2015: 770). Fortunately, the context of archaeo- ‘over 5.000 years, much older than wos previously su: logy being a business isnot the situation many Urgua pposed (15) lyan archaeologists fno themselves in. But itis a context One of the most interesting aspects of this rescue is {hot affects many others: according to Cristdbai Gnec that the work by Beovide and Caporale did not stop 20 and Acfiana Schmiai Dies. in contract archaeology where mast archaeological research does. thelr pro feveloped in the piivate sphere, archaeologists and ject olso includes a plan for an integra! management chaeology have gone from having o commitment Of heritage, “eimed at achieving o sustainable deve to the nation (which, in my opinion. was not that great lopment of local populations and the environment’ ther) to having a commitment 10 the market (2015: [21]. From the perspective of thelr conceptual inspire 91). 218 2918 Archaeology end Natural Resource... Gustovo Verdesis ‘Archaeology & Neolioeraism Everything seems to indicate, then. that the type of ples) conspire not only against the conservation of the rescue archaeology that takes piace in Uruguay today Srchaediogical heritage, but also against the possiole i, comparatively, somewhat more protected agains! [defences that citizens could mount against the seemin: the devastating logic of neoliberal copitolsm. Port of fly inescapable advance of neoliberal global copita. that logic isto reatfimn the primitive accumulation that [Archaeology is only one of the actors in this drama, occured in the Americas, which according fo Kor but that does not exempt it from rethinking its role in Marx consisted of the separation of the worker from his the face of a less instumentaist future. is practitioners means ond conditions of production (1973: 873.875, have fo choose whether fo be on the side of primitive 915}. David Harvey (2004), for his port, uses the term ‘accumulation and prof, or on the side of the vast mo: “accumviation by dispossession” fo describe the equi otty of the inhabitants of the planet valent process in the neoliberal era Regrettably, some tendencies in the economic phi losophy of the most recent administrations, as we have seen above, indicate that itis highiy probable that, at some point in time, the development of mega-mining © oll exploration wil eventualy happen in. Uriguay. This in a country where there is no clear legisiation or criteria for heritage management, is reason to wory.2 Especially because it's a country that also imagines i self without indigenous peoples, of without social ac- tors recognised os he's fo indigenous hertage—wnic’ makes it easier to forget the primitive accumulation that Man detected os a precondition for the rise of opitalsm. Ths fociltotes neoliberal capitalism's predc tory task. which already meets itl resistance even in Counties that do recognise the existence and rights of indigenous peopies. These three factors (incipient patimoniat legislation lack of clarity in the management of the heritage, and lack of recognition of the existence of indigenous peo 2 a