Narratives as living heritage in the Matanza-Riachuelo basin, Buenos Aires. Action research by the WREMAR collective

This workshop presents the results of the "insurgent exhibition" hosted at the Immigration Museum – Immigrant Hotel in Buenos Aires and offers a space for debate on the future of the Matanza-Riachuelo, one of the most polluted rivers in South America. The exhibition is the result of the action research developed by the WREMAR Collective (WRENCH Matanza–Riachuelo), a member of "WRENCH: Whispers of Time. Heritage as Narratives of Climate Change", an international project of the Belmont Forum, coordinated by environmental historian Marco Armiero, based at the Institute for the History of Science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (iHC-UAB), and supported by the Spanish State Research Agency and the Autonomous Solidarity Foundation (FAS) of the UAB.

Along its 64 km, in the heart of a highly urbanized basin, the Matanza-Riachuelo river affects the lives of more than five million people. Its legacy has been shaped by decades of activism driven by multiple actors: Indigenous communities, migrants, workers, women, and diverse collectives who, together with experts and social movements, have fought for environmental justice. All of this within the framework of the Mendoza Ruling, a landmark legal case in Argentina, initiated in the early 2000s and recently concluded by the Supreme Court of Justice. However, the river and its polluted basin continue to be a paradigmatic example of the complex socio-ecological relationships that characterize what we call the "Wasteocene". In this context, we ask: What role do the memories and narratives of those who inhabit the basin play in prefiguring alternative futures in the face of regimes of toxicity and disposability?

Participants:

Marco Armiero (Principal Investigator of the WRENCH Project)

Rosana Carvalho (Cooperation and Education for Global Justice Technician at the Autonomous Solidarity Foundation)

Natalia Correa (National University of Lanús)

Carolina Duque (Center for Latin American Studies on Insecurity and Violence, National University Tres de Febrero)

Fernanda Leyva (National University of Quilmes)

Anyely Marín Cisneros (researcher)

Gabriel Moscovici (Pueblos de América Teachers, Children's and Adolescents' Homes Program, Antropolúdica)

Giusy Pappalardo (iHC‑UAB, Coordinator of the FAS Project)

Carlos Tabernero (iHC-UAB)

Jaume Valentines‑Álvarez (iHC‑UAB)

Axel Weissel (University of Buenos Aires and Arqueoterra Cooperative)

Programme

Welcome | Carlos Tabernero (iHC director), Rosana Carvalho (Autonomous Solidarity Foundation) and Marco Armiero (Principal Investigator)

Introduction | Giusy Pappalardo (Coordinator)

Presentation | Fernanda Leyva, Natalia Correa, Carolina Duque, Axel Weissel (Arqueoterra Cooperative), and Gabriel Moscovici (Research Team)

Dialogue Panel | Discussion open to all participants, moderated by Jaume Valentines and Anyely Marín

To participate online and receive the link, please send an email to wrench.coord[at]gmail.com with the subject line “WREMAR Workshop” by September 7.