Date of Award
5-1-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Anthropology
First Advisor
Marcos Mendoza
Second Advisor
Kristin Hickman
Third Advisor
Katherine Centellas
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
This project seeks to study how artisanal fishers in northern coastal Peru interpret and respond to environmental change provoked by three sources of harm: climate change, overfishing, and contamination. Drawing from six and a half weeks of ethnographic fieldwork among artisanal fishers in Lobitos, Peru, this paper foregrounds the concept of the nearshore assemblage to highlight the ever-shifting relations between humans and marine ecologies that constitute littoral and oceanic worlds. Artisanal fishers utilize discriminatory, non-mechanical methods to fish in a protected section of Peru’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Fishing livelihoods in this space were previously possible because the convergence of ocean currents along Piura’s coastline historically produced an ideal marine climate for many fish species. However, due to climate change, overfishing, and contamination, opportunities for fishing have become sporadic, forcing fishers to enlist in other lines of work and to rely on state corporations. The increased dependency of fishers on the state preempts the development of anti-extractivist politics. Nearshore marine ecologies and fishing livelihoods are sacrificed for petroleum extraction. While recent literature on the political ecology of artisanal fishing has focused on dispossession, commodification, and conservation, this MA research study contributes a novel approach by analyzing how spatiotemporal disjunction is transforming artisanal fishing. Further, by analyzing the political relations surrounding a state energy corporation, it adds complexity to research on extractivism.
Recommended Citation
Rodi, Leigh Shattuck, "Disturbances in A Convergece Zone: Artisanal Fishers and The Making of The Nearshore in Northern Coastal Peru" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 8870.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/8870