The political life of rising acid mine water

bibliographic database
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Periodical article

Title:	The political life of rising acid mine water
Author:	Bremner, Lindsay
Year:	2013
Periodical:	Urban Forum (ISSN 1874-6330)
Volume:	24
Issue:	4
Pages:	463-483
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	water pollution mining wastes political sociology legislation
Abstract:	The article chronicles the complex geological, chemical, historical, economic, environmental and socio-political causes and effects of acid mine water overflowing from abandoned gold mines near Johannesburg, South Africa. The author explores the use of legislation and cartography to keep the belowground world of labour, minerals, rocks and science apart from the aboveground world of capital, commerce, culture and politics. By decanting across the surface of the earth, into the air, and into the metabolisms of plants, animals and humans, acid mine water transformed geology into a political matter of concern. As a result, it became impossible to act as if what had formerly been two distinct realms do not belong to the same sphere. It demonstrates that a common world does exist, that combinations between many systems are thinkable and that a topography that does not presuppose a position of mastery is possible. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [ASC Leiden abstract]