The Landscape as Witness

solastalgia and the elaboration of trauma in spaces altered by mining in Minas Gerais.

Abstract

This article explores the intrinsic and multifaceted relationship between the state of Minas Gerais and mining activity, conceiving it as both its genesis and a permanent trauma. It highlights that the pursuit of mineral wealth shaped the state's landscape and development, but also generated profound socio-environmental and human scars. The analysis spans from the suppression of indigenous communities and the exploitation of enslaved labor to catastrophic dam failures, such as those in Mariana (2015) and Brumadinho (2019), which made Brazil the country with the highest number of deaths in such accidents. The text introduces the concept of Solastalgia—the existential distress experienced due to intrusive transformation of environment—as key to understanding the emotional dimension of this continuous trauma in the mining landscape. It proposes an "archaeological gaze" for trauma sites, inspired by Didi-Huberman, advocating for the acceptance of ruins and alterations as testimony, rather than their concealment. Finally, the concept of "difficult heritage" is presented as a path to recognize these sites as places of collective memory, enabling the elaboration of trauma and the construction of a more just and sustainable future, where the land's scars teach and promote a new relationship with the territory.