Environmentalism and Social Protest: The Contemporary Anti‐mining Mobilization in the Province of San Marcos and the Condebamba Valley, Peru

Abstract

During recent years, a rapid expansion in large‐scale mining activity has generated a host of protests in Peru, as rural populations have attempted to defend their livelihood and environment. This article examines the genesis and trajectory of one such mobilization that emerged in the province of San Marcos and neighbouring Condebamba Valley, located in the northern Andean department of Cajamarca. The social movement's internal organization, strategy, tactics and repertoires of struggle are analyzed. Practices inherited from the rondas campesinas (nightwatch patrols) are seen to have exercised an important influence in shaping its modus operandi, which contrasts in key respects with the behaviour of other anti‐mining protests in Peru, such as Majaz. The article concludes with an assessment of how shifting power relations within the state might influence the chances of successful collective action in the countryside.