Interpreting Local Experiences in Global Aluminum Production; Memory and Community in some Bauxite Territories of the Caribbean (British Guiana/Guyana)

摘要

Alcan (Aluminum Company of Canada) first began operating in British Guiana (now Guyana) in the middle of the twentieth century, attracted by the country's rich bauxite reserves. It built its first aluminium smelter in the Mackenzie-Wismar region in 1961. From that time on this Canadian presence shaped not just the region and its urban landscape but also its social practices, by importing a new identity and culture. An "aluminium civilisation" emerged, on account of the company's economic significance for the country and the influence it exerted on lifestyles. This civilisation, steeped in a British/Canadian identity, lives on in the form of local heritage preservation initiatives launched by some of the local inhabitants: blogs, sharing of personal stories, photographs, memories of well-known figures, etc.