Strengthening Networks in the Worlds of Lithium in Argentina

In September, Cristobal Bonelli participated in a series of strategic meetings in Buenos Aires, Argentina, aimed at strengthening long-term collaborations for the Worlds of Lithium (WOL) project in Latin America. These efforts are in line with the goal of establishing sustainable research networks that will continue beyond the ERC-funded phase of WOL.

A key meeting was jointly organized by three projects: Worlds of Lithium, Marina Weinberg’s newly awarded research project, and Bruno Fornillo’s Geopolitics and Commons Studies Group. This strategic session involved Bonelli, Weinberg (who leads WOL in Chile), and Fornillo, and focused on establishing collaborative research channels that will extend over the next three years. Weinberg’s project, funded by Chile's National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) through the "2024 Anillos Research Competition in Specific Thematic Areas," builds on her work for WOL and is titled The Geopolitics of Lithium Off-sites: Infrastructures, Territories, and Ecologies. It explores the social and material transformations linked to lithium in areas distant from extraction sites, with a multidisciplinary team.

The collaborative meeting set the stage for these projects to work together in advancing research on lithium geopolitics and territorial transformations, with Bonelli participating as an external expert. This partnership represents a significant step towards extending the impact of Worlds of Lithium in Latin America beyond the ERC funding period.

In addition to this, Bonelli took part in an academic workshop organized by the Program of Studies on Global China at the IDAES School and the Chinese Global Orders Program of The British Academy. Over two days, scholars and professionals from various international institutions met at UNSAM University to discuss China’s evolving role in the global order, particularly its relationships with Latin America. Bonelli’s participation in these discussions contributes to the broader geopolitical focus of the Worlds of Lithium project, particularly regarding energy transitions and resource governance in China, and its various connections with Latin America.