Social representations of “being hit” by ore tailings: a study on the affected populations by the Fundão’s dam collapse

Abstract

According to the dominant discourse, the mineral industry is extremely important for the stability of the contemporary human standard of living. However, the occurrence of environmental disasters in the recent years have shown the limits of mining extractive activities. The rupture of the Fundão Dam in Mariana-MG (2015), impacted nature and affected thousands of families who depended, directly or indirectly, on the waters of the Doce River, that were contaminated with ore tailings. In this research, we aimed to identify and interpret the social representations that were elaborated about the meaning of  “being affected” by the disaster. Guided by an interdisciplinary perspective, we articulated the Complexity approach with the Social Representation Theory. The data were collected based on 1) document analysis of “A Sirene” Newspaper (prepared by the affected people) and minutes of the meetings of the Interfederative Committee (CIF) that occurred between 2016 and 2018; 2) interviews with affected people and CIF members; 3) participant observation and informal talks during the field visits. The results show that social representations of being 'affected' are linked to diverse elements, both material and non-material. It is concluded that the technical and legal classification of the category of “affected” can be limiting and excluding, not promoting justice since in a complex reality the effects of a large event are multiple.