Between rubble and development

Territorial dynamics of the deferral policy in the south of San Juan

Abstract

The present work is at the crossroads of territorial studies and a line of ethnographic research that analyses ethnographic research that analyses rubble as material traces of the failure of development projects. The policy of agricultural “diferimientos” in the province of San Juan provoked a series of territorial transformations that resulted in the arrival of numerous agricultural companies in the rural space of the province, but also the speculative use of these benefits, with the consequent abandonment of productive
enterprises. These productive abandonments are understood in this paper in the light of
the approach of Gastón Gordillo's to rubble as materiality or violence frozen in it. Beyond
the interest that has been paid to the impacts of the “diferimientos” policy in the province
of San Juan, the local effects they had have been neglected. This has led to a lack of
understanding of the territorial dynamics that were awakened by the public policy. The
presence of rubble symbolises the paradoxical nature of the “diferimientos” policy
process. This performance reflects the disconnection between implemented policies and
local realities, thus calling for a profound reconsideration of rural development strategies.