Resources For Reform: Oil And Neoliberalism In Argentina

Resources for Reform: Oil and Neoliberalism in Argentina

Review"Shever's is one of just a handful of monographs that looks closely at the lived and embodies experience of transformations in resource sovereignty . . . [Shever] uses the transformation in resource sovereignty to build an instructive and nuanced lesson for understanding the multidimensionality of neoliberalism in practice . . . [I]n chapters describing and detailing its precise operations, Shever offers vivid ethnographic renderings of how the concept [of Argentinian neoliberalismo] manifests . . . Shever's study begins to clarify what history has only made more apparent regarding the struggle over natural resources. Who owns, benefits from, and will direct the future of their extraction and use is a politically volatile issue worthy of close and sustained ethnographic investigation."-Lisa Breglia, American Anthropologist"Elana Shever's Resources for Reform breaks the mold for anthropological studies of oil. Shever designed her well-balanced project to examine the production, distribution, and consumption of oil in both rural Patagonia and urban Buenos Aires, Argentina . . . By incorporating observations among both 'upstream' and 'downstream' sectors of the oil industry in Argentina, Resources for Reform sets a new precedent for ethnographic studies of oil in Latin America. Shever's work should have a lasting impact in anthropology for contributing to established areas of study . . . Such an innovative approach to corporate personhood opens new possibilities for pursuing anthropology of oil that is no longer bound strictly to the state."- James J. A. Blair, Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology"In sum, Resources for Reform is a welcome addition to the growing field of anthropology of oil and the study of neoliberalism. While using novel approaches and ideas, Shever adheres to an ethnographic tradition of organizing discussion around what makes her case different, which helps highlight the relevance of her research and ethnographic endeavor in general. Shever outlines a potentially path-breaking discussion of the nature and sources of corporate power and its historical contingency . . . Shever is certainly ahead of the learning curve in the study of this most recent transformation as well as the making and remaking of state and corporate powers in Argentina and, perhaps, elsewhere."-Saulesh Yessenova, American Ethnologist"Oil oozes through the pores of modern society, and neoliberalism has restructured Latin American community and kinship relationships so deeply, that it is no surprise that a cultural anthropologist would address these topics. Elana Shever's Resources for Reform: Oil and Neoliberalism in Argentina does so with careful attention to detail and with compelling ethnography . . . [T]he book is an important addition to the study of the intersection of oil and neoliberalism, two major forces shaping Latin America in recent times. I would strongly recommend the book to anyone interested in either of these topics."-Stephen Cote, Hispanic American Historical Review"Resources for Reform is a highly interesting study that will very likely become an obligatory reference for scholars studying the effects of privatisation policies in Latin America and those interested in understanding the framework of Argentina's current oil policy. Its dynamic style makes it accessible to both graduate and undergraduate students."-Marcelo Bucheli, Journal of Latin American Studies"Resources for Reform is an exemplary, well written and very accessible account of a highly complex story encompassing poor and rich Argentines, hard-working industry labourers and people struggling to get by, as well as politicians, lawyers, international consultants, and corporate representatives who have all contributed, in one way or another, to tying Argentina's oil industry more tightly into a global neoliberal regime."-Gisa Weszkalnys, Anthropology of this Century"In this rich and compelling ethnography, Elana Shever explor