Seguindo os cursos d´água do Ribeirão do Eixo

Abstract

The research presented in this dissertation was motivated by my interest in following the articulation processes of the inhabitants of Ribeirão do Eixo (Itabirito, MG) around the waters that traverse the region. My contact with the village began when I was working at an environmental compensation project, and it appeared clear to me that the water was a key mobilizing factor to the inhabitants interests, concerning the place they live in. Whether in the task-force joined for maintenance of the self-produced water supply networks, or in the investigation of contamination of water springs, in facing the mining industry, or formulating demands to the public authorities, there was a continuous process of mobilization and investigation in the groups to which the water was a matter of concern. This articulation between inhabitants and the waters in the region indicate the formation of socio-spatial groups, which can be understood as groups in which space constitutes their sociability and vice-versa. During the masters studies period, some strategies were created in order to sustain the contact with the village inhabitants (on-site visits, a course organized for public outreach, etc.). In order to keep track of the processes of group formation in Ribeirão do Eixo, I am guided by the Actor-Network Theory (ANT), which proposes following trails and actors in these processes. The text is structured as routes along the water courses that traverse the region. In these routes I describe some events, like the construction of a conservation unit, of a water treatment plant, the task-force gatherings for the water channels (rêgos d’água) maintenance, and the confrontation against the mining activities in the region. These events reveal the association of a diversity of actors over time in the process of construction and formation of the water supply networks in Ribeirão do Eixo.