Hydroelectricity and Metabolic Rift

• In Event: 50620 - Section on Environmental Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 18: Metabolic Rifts and Shifts

Abstract

This paper uses metabolic rift to frame the eco-social relationships typified by large, hydroelectric producing dams. We use the Pacific Northwest as a specific case, and explore agricultural rifts, biospheric rifts, and the deepening entrenchment of these dynamics through the history of full river control and the socio-environmental logic of large dams. We turn our attention to recent movements for dam removal, and discuss points of agricultural and biospheric repair. Ultimately, we are interested in developing an example of how metabolic rift can be a useful framework for understanding concentric rifts, as well as taking a closer look at the process of rift repair.

Authors

• Amanda Lynn Sikirica, University of Wyoming

• Mauricio Betancourt, Washington and Lee University

• Nicholas Theis, Kenyon College