Reseñas bibliograficas

La mitad verde del mundo andino. Investigaciones arqueológicas en la vertiente oriental de los Andes y las tierras bajas de Bolivia y Argentina: La editorial de la Universidad Nacional de Jujuy ha publicado con acertado criterio un volumen editado por las arqueólogas Gabriela Ortiz y Beatriz Ventura, quienes están respaldadas por las investigaciones arqueológicas que han realizado en la porción argentina del piedemonte andino oriental. El título La mitad verde del mundo andino es, ni quien lo dude, un acierto de la sensibilidad frente al paisaje (“Otro goce es el producido por el carácter individual del paisaje, la configuración de la superficie del globo en una región determinada. Las impresiones de este género son más vivas, mejor definidas, más conformes a ciertas situaciones del alma” A. von Humboldt 1845). El subtítulo nos ubica en la concreta realidad de un campo específico de la ciencia: Investigaciones arqueológicas en la vertiente oriental de los Andes y las tierras bajas de Bolivia y Argentina.Sociedad Argentina de Antropologí

Reseñas bibliograficas

La mitad verde del mundo andino. Investigaciones arqueológicas en la vertiente oriental de los Andes y las tierras bajas de Bolivia y Argentina: La editorial de la Universidad Nacional de Jujuy ha publicado con acertado criterio un volumen editado por las arqueólogas Gabriela Ortiz y Beatriz Ventura, quienes están respaldadas por las investigaciones arqueológicas que han realizado en la porción argentina del piedemonte andino oriental. El título La mitad verde del mundo andino es, ni quien lo dude, un acierto de la sensibilidad frente al paisaje (“Otro goce es el producido por el carácter individual del paisaje, la configuración de la superficie del globo en una región determinada. Las impresiones de este género son más vivas, mejor definidas, más conformes a ciertas situaciones del alma” A. von Humboldt 1845). El subtítulo nos ubica en la concreta realidad de un campo específico de la ciencia: Investigaciones arqueológicas en la vertiente oriental de los Andes y las tierras bajas de Bolivia y Argentina.Sociedad Argentina de Antropologí

Comentario

En el artículo Demografía y cambio social en la Quebrada de Humahuaca (Jujuy, Argentina) 700-1535 d.C. Axel E. Niclscn analiza los cambios ocurridos en los modos de utilización del espacio, tanto regional como en los propios asentamientos arqueológicos, en la Quebrada de Humahuaca y su área de influencia entre el 700 y el 1535 A. D. A lo largo de este período identifica tendencias en la distribución, emplazamieno y estructura de las poblaciones, así como sus relaciones con los recursos y las actividades de producción. Basándose en csta información, discute los posibles nexos entre los procesos demográficos, políticos y económicos, y sus consecuencias en la explicación del cambio. En el resumen afirma"[...] que el progresivo desarrollo de una situación de conflicto endémico a lo largo del período podría explicar el proceso"Comentario sobre el artículo de Axel E. Nielsen: “Demografia y cambio social en Quebrada de Humahuaca (Jujuy, Argentina) 700-1535 d.C.”. Relaciones de la Sociedad Argentina de Antropología, XXI, 1996, pp. 307-354.Sociedad Argentina de Antropologí

Reseñas bibliograficas

La mitad verde del mundo andino. Investigaciones arqueológicas en la vertiente oriental de los Andes y las tierras bajas de Bolivia y Argentina: La editorial de la Universidad Nacional de Jujuy ha publicado con acertado criterio un volumen editado por las arqueólogas Gabriela Ortiz y Beatriz Ventura, quienes están respaldadas por las investigaciones arqueológicas que han realizado en la porción argentina del piedemonte andino oriental. El título La mitad verde del mundo andino es, ni quien lo dude, un acierto de la sensibilidad frente al paisaje (“Otro goce es el producido por el carácter individual del paisaje, la configuración de la superficie del globo en una región determinada. Las impresiones de este género son más vivas, mejor definidas, más conformes a ciertas situaciones del alma” A. von Humboldt 1845). El subtítulo nos ubica en la concreta realidad de un campo específico de la ciencia: Investigaciones arqueológicas en la vertiente oriental de los Andes y las tierras bajas de Bolivia y Argentina.Sociedad Argentina de Antropologí

La repatriación de un toi moko

En el mes de mayo del 2004 el Museo Etnográfico “Juan Bautista Ambrosetti” (Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires) repatrió una cabeza momificada y tatuada de guerrero maorí –toi moko– al Museo Nacional de Nueva Zelanda Te Papa Tongarewa. La toi moko, que había ingresado a las colecciones del Museo Etnográfico en 1910, fue recibida en una solemne ceremonia fúnebre por altos miembros de la comunidad maorí y directivos de Te Papa Tongarewa, quienes se encargaron de depositarla en un recinto preparado para tal fin y donde permanecerá hasta tanto se lleve a cabo una cuidadosa investigación para precisar su origen y procedencia. Los antecedentes de la devolución se remontan principios del 2003 cuando en ocasión de la visita al Museo Etnográfico del Sr. Carl Worker, Embajador de Nueva Zelanda en la Argentina, le manifestamos nuestro anhelo de que la cabeza momificada volviera a manos del pueblo maorí. Las gestiones formales se iniciaron el 8 de abril de 2003 con una nota que se entregó a la embajada neozelandesa, solicitando la apertura del trámite oficial para la repatriación1. Un año después se invitaba a unos de nosotros [JAPG] a viajar llevando la toi moko para dejarla en manos del equipo del Te Papa Tongarew que es responsable del reclamo de los restos humanos maoríes que se encuentran fuera de Nueva Zelanda2.Sociedad Argentina de Antropologí

Compositional data supports decentralized model of production and circulation of artifacts in the pre-Columbian south-central Andes

ArticleThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from National Academy of Sciences via the DOI in this record.The circulation and exchange of goods and resources at various scales have long been considered central to the understanding of complex societies, and the Andes have provided a fertile ground for investigating this process. However, long-standing archaeological emphasis on typological analysis, although helpful to hypothesize the direction of contacts, has left important aspects of ancient exchange open to speculation. To improve understanding of ancient exchange practices and their potential role in structuring alliances, we examine material exchanges in northwest Argentina (part of the south-central Andes) during 400 BC to AD 1000 (part of the regional Formative Period), with a multianalytical approach (petrography, instrumental neutron activation analysis, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) to artifacts previously studied separately. We assess the standard centralized model of interaction vs. a decentralized model through the largest provenance database available to date in the region. The results show: (i) intervalley heterogeneity of clays and fabrics for ordinary wares; (ii) intervalley homogeneity of clays and fabrics for a wide range of decorated wares (e.g., painted Ciénaga); (iii) selective circulation of two distinct polychrome wares (Vaquerías and Condorhuasi); (iv) generalized access to obsidian from one major source and various minor sources; and (v) selective circulation of volcanic rock tools from a single source. These trends reflect the multiple and conflicting demands experienced by people in small-scale societies, which may be difficult to capitalize by aspiring elites. The study undermines centralized narratives of exchange for this period, offering a new platform for understanding ancient exchange based on actual material transfers, both in the Andes and beyond.We thank the former directors of Museo Etnográfico (University of Buenos Aires), M. N. Tarragó (2005–2015) and the late J. A. Pérez Gollán (1987–2005), who provided access to key samples and enthusiastic support for this project since its earliest stages. We also thank M. Berón (current Director of Museo Etnográfico, University of Buenos Aires), R. Cattáneo (Director of Museo de Antropología, University of Córdoba, 2011–2013), J. P. Carbonelli, M. E. De Feo, V. Puente, G. Míguez, and R. Spano for providing access to additional samples; A. Brechbuhler and E. Gillispie for assisting with lithic sample preparation and measurements; and C. Roush for preparing the samples for irradiation and for general laboratory management responsibilities. This research was primarily funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council Early Career Grant SX–5317 (2011–2013) and preliminary research was funded by British Academy Small Grant 51798 (2009) (both to M.L.). Fieldwork and petrography analyses have been supported by successive grants from Argentinean National Agency for Science and Technology (ANCyT) Raíces Program PICT 2007-00116 (to M.C.S.) and ANCyT PICT 2010-1048 (to M.A.K.). Funding was also provided by the National Council for Science and Technical Research PIP 112-2008 01-00256 (to M.C.S.) and PIP 11/042 (to M.A.K.). The Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Missouri Research Reactor is supported in part by the National Science Foundation (BCS-1415403 and BCS-0922374)

Trayectorias y desafíos de la historiografía de los museos de historia natural en América Del Sur

Powerful tools of interchange and circulation of data and specimens, Natural History museums constituted themselves in several Latin-American countries, such as Argentine and Brazil as privileged loci of epistemic infrastructure since the nineteenth century. The museums gathered huge amounts of collections of surveys of territories and people, always proposed as comprehensive, ultimate and exhaustive endeavors, which made those institutions face the challenges of not only storing and displayng the collections and specimens but also how to order the latter in archives and catalogues that would make them intelligible. Problematizing issues already present in the nowadays consistent literature, including the Latin-American contribution, on museums, the paper discusses among other themes, the acritical identification between museums and the representation of nations and the recurrent notion of museums as place of memory. It proposes as a challenge to the new generation of scholar to ponder how to write these histories incorporating their human and non-human agents as well as the set of events and circunstances that generated their sucesses and failures.En el siglo XIX los museos de historia natural de América del Sur se constituyeron en instrumentos clave para el intercambio y la circulación de datos y especímenes y, en ese sentido, en loci privilegiados de la infraestructura de las ciencias y del saber. Almacenaron tal cantidad de objetos y colecciones que los organizadores de estas instituciones se enfrentaron al problema de cómo guardarlos y exhibirlos dándoles un orden que pudiera entenderse. Por eso, los museos no pueden separarse de la historia del papel, del archivo y de los catálogos. Este artículo repasa algunas cuestiones de la historiografía producida en las últimas décadas, discutiendo, entre otras cosas, la identificación acrítica entre museos, memoria y representación de la nación. A su vez, propone el desafío de cómo escribir la historia de los museos incorporando los agentes humanos y no humanos y el conjunto de circunstancias que sustentan sus éxitos y fracasos

O final dos reinos: Diálogos entre Tiwanaku e La Aguada

Este escrito pone de nuevo a dialogar las iconografías de Tiwanaku (altiplano del Titicaca, Bolivia) y La Aguada (Noroeste de la Argentina), a más de 40 años de los trabajos de Rex González y de Ponce Sanginés. Lo hace en un contexto enteramente diferente con un énfasis decolonial. Objetos, imágenes, información etnográfica y arqueólogos de ambos lados de una frontera entre "naciones", se ensamblan con la clara intención de cuestionar supuestos subyacentes muy profundos de la arqueología. Metodología: a partir de los caminos que plantean las imágenes y colores, se amarran en estos nudos también los humanos y las cosas, las experiencias chamánicas y los fenómenos meteorológicos, todos enlazados de modo relacional. Conclusiones: tras poner a dialogar a La Aguada y Tiwanaku, con base en nuestras trayectorias investigativas, la discusión desemboca en una reflexión acerca de las consecuencias presentes de naturalizar miradas segmentadas y funcionalistas de los mundos animales y vegetales en el pasado, que se originan en los subyacentes ontológicos de nuestra propia modernidad. Originalidad: el texto apunta a abordar la crítica decolonial a partir del estudio de casos concretos y a aportar a esos debates desde materialidades arqueológicas.This paper once again brings the iconographies of Tiwanaku (Titicaca high plateau, Bolivia) and La Aguada (Northwest of Argentina) into discussion, more than 40 years after the works of Rex González and Ponce Sanginés. It does so in an entirely different context with a decolonial emphasis. Objects, images, ethnographic information and archaeologists from both sides of a border between “nations” are assembled with the clear intention of questioning very deep underlying assumptions of archaeology. Methodology: Beginning with the paths posed by images and colors, these knots also bind humans and things, shamanic experiences and meteorological phenomena. Conclusions: After bringing La Aguada and Tiwanaku into dialogue, based on our research trajectories, the discussion leads to a reflection on the present consequences of naturalizing segmented and functionalist gazes of the animal and plant worlds in the past, which originate in the ontological underpinnings of our own modernity. Originality: The text aims to approach decolonial criticism from the study of concrete cases and to contribute to these debates on the basis of archaeological materiality.Fil: Marconetto, María Bernarda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Villanueva Criales, Juan Eduardo. Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore; Bolivi

Public-private partnerships in renewable energy in Latin America and the Caribbean

Incluye BibliografíaThe versatility of electricity, which can be transformed into heat, light or mechanical movement, makes it a very valuable form of energy. It can be used to light a home, cook food or move machinery in productive processes. Access to electricity is thus crucial for human and economic development. In the 1980s and 1990s, Latin America and the Caribbean substantially reformed the electricity sector. During this process, most of the countries in the region privatized all or part of the sector, which historically had been in the hands of the state. Thus, private companies largely took charge of electricity generation, transmission and distribution, while the government became responsible for regulating the sector through institutions created specifically for that purpose. This process and model were generally successful and led to an improvement in service. In the majority of cases, the model remains in place today. In 2003-2008, the Latin American region recorded an average annual economic growth rate of almost 5 per cent. Moreover, Latin American countries withstood the world economic and financial crisis better than other regions of the world, and they are showing signs of a relatively faster recovery.1 The OECD projects that the region's growth rate will average 4.1 per cent in 2012.2 This economic growth will increase the demand for all forms of energy, including electricity. While hydroelectric power represents a strong share of the region's energy matrix, fossil fuels are used to generate almost half of the electricity in Latin America and the Caribbean, producing greenhouse gases and, in some cases, resulting in high and unpredictable electricity costs. Hydropower is the dominant renewable energy source, whereas unconventional sources represent only a marginal share of the region's energy matrix. Renewable energy projects are generally characterized by high investment and maintenance costs, complex construction issues and economic returns that are not always high. These factors create a big challenge in the development of renewable energy projects and the penetration of the technology in the region. It is therefore necessary to explore mechanisms that can help overcome this challenge, particularly in the financing phase. One way to narrow the gap in financing is to incorporate private capital through public-private partnerships (PPP);. During the privatization process of the 1980s and 1990s, many Latin American countries sought out private sector participation in order to increase investment in infrastructure while keeping public debt under control, as well as to break up the vertical integration of the services and increase management efficiency. Privatization was successful in areas where the public sector had a strong regulatory framework and where the specific project designs were solid and transparent. In other cases, however, privatization was less successful, as reflected in frequent renegotiations and conflicts between the parties. Moreover, the privatization process changed the role of the state from a traditional supplier of public goods to a market regulator. Traditionally, public-private partnerships (PPP); were defined as a legally binding contract between the government and private firms for the provision of goods and services, with the majority of the responsibilities and risks transferred to the private partner. Currently, however, PPPs are being transformed into a model in which the public and private sectors are both involved in all phases of the project, including construction, financing and operation. This makes the arrangement more attractive to the private sector, since the risks are shared by the government. A big challenge for the region is to achieve sustainable development combined with economic growth, energy security, the well-being of the population and care for the environment. Energy security is becoming a crucial issue on domestic and international political agendas due to climate change and fluctuations in oil prices, which mainly affect developing countries.3 The use of renewable energy sources can significantly reduce both greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation and national dependency on imported fuels. Several countries in the region, especially in South America, have launched programmes to promote the use of unconventional renewable energy in the production of electricity. The majority of these programmes are still in the implementation phase, but it is already possible to identify some areas for improvement, such as access to credit and the transparency and clarity of the processes. These programmes have in common the participation of the state in the role of regulator, promoter and, in some cases, guarantor and financial backer; while the private sector plays the basic role of executing and operating the project. The PPP model appears to be having positive results in terms of promoting the use of unconventional renewable energy. The use of unconventional sources has increased significantly following the implementation of these programmes at the beginning of the last decade. This report highlights the importance of private participation for increasing the use of unconventional renewable energy sources in large and medium-sized projects that are generally connected to a national distribution network. To this end, the report provides a brief description of electricity market segmentation in some target countries (namely, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay); and identifies the main actors in the electricity sector. It also discusses some important environmental and social aspects of electric energy, such as climate change and access to electricity, with a focus on the key role that renewable energy sources can play in these areas. The paper then discusses PPPs, presenting case studies of programmes being implemented in region to promote unconventional renewable energy, as well as some concrete efforts featuring publicprivate participation. It also provides a brief summary of best practices for the development of PPPs, ending with a discussion and final conclusions. The research for this report was based on the collection of publicly available data, together with surveys and interviews of key personnel in the government entities in charge of the electricity sector in 13 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, who were identified and initially contacted by ECLAC. The data were then categorized and analysed, and the government contacts were called on to complete and expand on data where necessary. The collected and analysed data are presented below