*Originally recorded March 15, 2019*
Dr. Marieka Sax
Research Lead, Cumulative Impacts Research Consortium (CIRC)
University of Northern British Columbia

Abstract:The remote highland town of Cañaris made the Peruvian news in 2013 when 300 armed policemen were sent to subdue 500 subsistence farmers who were blocking access to the survey base of a transnational mining operation located on the Indigenous community’s legally held territory. Despite the united front presented by people in Cañaris, community members are divided on the question of supporting mining on their land. Will the mine be good for the local economy and the development of the district? Are there ways to advance and modernize the community without compromising people’s agricultural-based livelihoods? And, what future is desirable for individuals and the community, now and in the future? These concerns are not limited to the material benefits people hope for—or the harmful effects they fear. They also encompass different visions of what constitutes the “good life,” how to pursue it, and the tensions between what the good life is for individuals and for the community as a whole.