"Just Graphite": Corporate Representations of Particular Matter in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro
The unevenly distributed environmental burdens of the Anthropocene become evident in conflicts surrounding the extractive industries. ThyssenKrupp’s steel mill (TKCSA) in Rio de Janeiro is an illustrative example. The factory transformed its surrounding landscape and emitted a fine metallic dust ove...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Edinburgh Library
2023-06-01
|
| Series: | Medicine Anthropology Theory |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/6900 |
| _version_ | 1797781714554060800 |
|---|---|
| author | Delia Rizpah Hollowell |
| author_facet | Delia Rizpah Hollowell |
| author_sort | Delia Rizpah Hollowell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The unevenly distributed environmental burdens of the Anthropocene become evident in conflicts surrounding the extractive industries. ThyssenKrupp’s steel mill (TKCSA) in Rio de Janeiro is an illustrative example. The factory transformed its surrounding landscape and emitted a fine metallic dust over its human and non-human neighbours. This article focuses on some of the less tangible elements of Anthropocene transformations around the mill. I examine ThyssenKrupp’s communication strategies to reveal the underlying meanings of corporate rhetorical devices, uncover the violence of public relations language and understand the intensity of feeling that surrounded it. I trace the affective registers that emerged around the steel mill as a result of its polluting activities, its approach to corporate communications, and its ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR) activities. Everyday life involved minimal corporeal expressions of emotion that encapsulated feeling and allowed for perseverance in the face of toxic suffering. The ‘Stop TKCSA’ campaign involved affective labour; emotions were the agentic contribution campaigners were able to make in the context of unequal power structures. I centre these less visible dynamics of power to examine how emotions can shape experiences of environmental conflict, form coalitional politics, and contribute to the very landscapes of the Anthropocene. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:00:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-76a2b27cc4fa4fbca73b0358e4c45957 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-691X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:00:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | University of Edinburgh Library |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medicine Anthropology Theory |
| spelling | doaj.art-76a2b27cc4fa4fbca73b0358e4c459572023-07-13T10:29:33ZengUniversity of Edinburgh LibraryMedicine Anthropology Theory2405-691X2023-06-0110212410.17157/mat.10.2.69006900"Just Graphite": Corporate Representations of Particular Matter in Santa Cruz, Rio de JaneiroDelia Rizpah Hollowell0UCLThe unevenly distributed environmental burdens of the Anthropocene become evident in conflicts surrounding the extractive industries. ThyssenKrupp’s steel mill (TKCSA) in Rio de Janeiro is an illustrative example. The factory transformed its surrounding landscape and emitted a fine metallic dust over its human and non-human neighbours. This article focuses on some of the less tangible elements of Anthropocene transformations around the mill. I examine ThyssenKrupp’s communication strategies to reveal the underlying meanings of corporate rhetorical devices, uncover the violence of public relations language and understand the intensity of feeling that surrounded it. I trace the affective registers that emerged around the steel mill as a result of its polluting activities, its approach to corporate communications, and its ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR) activities. Everyday life involved minimal corporeal expressions of emotion that encapsulated feeling and allowed for perseverance in the face of toxic suffering. The ‘Stop TKCSA’ campaign involved affective labour; emotions were the agentic contribution campaigners were able to make in the context of unequal power structures. I centre these less visible dynamics of power to examine how emotions can shape experiences of environmental conflict, form coalitional politics, and contribute to the very landscapes of the Anthropocene.http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/6900environmental conflictpatchy anthropocenecorporate social responsibilityemotion |
| spellingShingle | Delia Rizpah Hollowell "Just Graphite": Corporate Representations of Particular Matter in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro Medicine Anthropology Theory environmental conflict patchy anthropocene corporate social responsibility emotion |
| title | "Just Graphite": Corporate Representations of Particular Matter in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro |
| title_full | "Just Graphite": Corporate Representations of Particular Matter in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro |
| title_fullStr | "Just Graphite": Corporate Representations of Particular Matter in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro |
| title_full_unstemmed | "Just Graphite": Corporate Representations of Particular Matter in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro |
| title_short | "Just Graphite": Corporate Representations of Particular Matter in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro |
| title_sort | just graphite corporate representations of particular matter in santa cruz rio de janeiro |
| topic | environmental conflict patchy anthropocene corporate social responsibility emotion |
| url | http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/6900 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT deliarizpahhollowell justgraphitecorporaterepresentationsofparticularmatterinsantacruzriodejaneiro |