George Shepherd
Research
Research Title: 'Rendering Lithium Extractible: The Construction of Extractive Governance at the Salar de Atacama’
Research Overview: I am a researcher of Latin American politics with a focus on the governance of energy transitions in resource frontiers. My doctoral thesis uses the case of lithium mining at the Salar de Atacama in northern Chile to explore how the socio-ecological tensions surrounding 'green extractivism' have been managed by corporate actors. My work intersects with questions of resource governance, political ecology, energy justice, and the geopolitics of energy transitions. I use concepts from Science and Technology Studies and anthropological accounts of 'frontier making' to discuss how territories are 'rendered extractible' through the material-epistemic interventions of mining corporations. I am working on developing further research on resource governance in Latin America, examining the role of the extractive industries in shaping political realities.
Qualifications
MA - Languages and Cultures - University of Manchester
BA - Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Studies - University of Manchester
Teaching
Politics and International Relations
- Political Analysis
- Introduction to Global Politics
- Introduction to Political Theory
- Global Sustainability & Energy Policy (Guest Lectureship)
Environment and Geography
- Introduction to Sustainable Business
- Research Skills
- Food, Space, Culture & Society
- Sustainability Clinic (Supervision Role)
