In December, Assistant Professor Michael Hendricks published a co-authored peer-reviewed article at QUID 16. Revista del Área de Estudios Urbanos. The article, entitled “Minería: ¿El Elixir de la Vida o la Fruta Prohibida? Un Examen Empírico de las Oportunidades y Amenazas de la Minería en Santo Domingo, Nicaragua: Una Comunidad Dividida Sobre la Minería,” contends that during the 2000s and 2010s, research on the politics of resource extraction focused on successful anti-extraction campaigns and emphasized sources of opposition to mining at the community level. With few exceptions, however, existing research has rarely explored the attitudes of individuals residing in resource extractive areas. Based on original data from a 2018 survey in Santo Domingo, Chontales, Nicaragua, sources of opposition and support for mining at the individual level were tracked. Community members in Santo Domingo are divided in their stances on mining. Some individuals oppose mining for agricultural and environmental reasons, while other community members support mining for employment opportunities and social programs. By tracing sources of opposition to and support for mining at the individual level, we can better understand what prompts some individuals to participate in resource related conflicts while others abstain.
