Water research in Chile: Review and critical perspectives

Abstract

Although Chile has some of the most arid regions on the planet, it was the first country in the world to privatize its water resources. The combination of these two phenomena turns it into an exceptional case for the use and management of water research. Thereby, a growing interest in this multidisciplinary field has been lately reflected by an increase in its scientific production. This production has contributed to describe, on the one hand, the Chilean water policy and the neoliberal logics that underlie it, while it has also focused on environmental conflicts and indigenous practices. This paper reviews the literature in this field of knowledge, proposing a historical balance and discussing the main topics researched, to end with a reflection on the new challenges for research in this dynamic field of study: the water, a physical reality never separated from the sociocultural fabric.