Hydroelectric power and Chilean society
From the Imaginary of Modernity to Environmentalist Resistance (1897-2023)

Considering the planning, construction, and commissioning of three large power plants – Rapel, Colbún, and Pangue-Ralco – this book analyzes the existing social representations surrounding hydroelectricity in Chile. Thus, it is postulated that there has been a sustained transition from an imaginary associated with technocratic modernity, under the slogans of development and progress, towards a resistance anchored in the environmentalist movement, within the framework of the articulation of new social movements in Chile and worldwide. An essential read for discussions on ecology, climate change, environmental justice, and ecosystem alteration in contrast to the growing energy demands of the population.