Socio-environmental controversies in southern Chile: the case of the red tide crisis on the Big Island of Chiloé

Abstract

The objective of the article is to explore the controversy surrounding the harmful algal bloom, also known as the red tide that affected the Big Island of Chiloé in 2016. From the perspectives of political ecology, post-constructivism and actor network theory, the discourses on this phenomenon are examined and the agency that can acquire materiality in crisis contexts is described. The methodology of this case study includes the analysis of newspaper articles, audiovisual records, public documents, field observations, and semi-structured interviews. The results show the emergence of four discourses associated with different formations of networks between human and non-human agents present in the controversy. The crisis reflects how scientific and other knowledge about the red tide became politicized, in addition to revealing the underlying power struggles over the Chiloé inland sea. One of the limitations of the study is that it does not investigate the scope of the post-conflict crisis, elements that will remain pending for future research.