Bento, Sofia (2006) La difficile existence du barrage d'Alqueva: une ethnographie des démonstrations sociotechniques. PhD thesis Socio-économie de l'innovation, ENSMP.

Full text available as: - SofiaBento_These_finale_Ecole.pdf ( 5266 Kb )

Licence: Copyright

Abstract

This thesis adresses the history of the Alqueva dam, so as to understand why the construction of the dam took place, without the discords spilling over and spreading throughout the Portuguese society. The multisite ethnographic method helped to comprehend how actors and objects were linked to the dam: in 2001, with the discovery of the rock art engravings, in the banks of the river Guadiana; in 2002, with the opening ceremonies. The strength of the dam was emphasised in the discourses of several actors, and implicit in several demonstrations performed. The environment, albeit a ground-breaking collective experience for most of the actors, was tackled through a made piece-meal approach. As to the debates around the financing and rentability, these have not weaken the dam, on the contrary they played an important role on the performing of the dam. In fact, the dam is linked with a wider system of dams, the Alentejo irrigation plan. Hence, all these data show this trajectory as a singularization process in regard to others Portuguese dams. But the
Alqueva dam impacts' in the Portuguese society should be adressed in a more qualitative, rather than cumulative way. The project itself presents an increasing and progressively differentiated nature.

Statistiques de consultation

Repository Staff Only: edit this item