I grew up in Cordoba, Argentina, during a time of devastating economic crisis. This experience marked me and it informed my interest to study how Latin American societies relate to global capitalism. he History Department at the University of California-Irvine trained me as a social historian with a focus on the environment. I learned from Latin American historians who built a strong historiographic tradition focused on the struggles of Indigenous communities and the working class. I also received great inspiration from the field of environmental history, which flourished in the U.S. but is now emerging in full force globally. My dissertation, which is the result of these two influences, examined a series of environmental conflicts connected to the rise of the copper industry in Peru. While in California, I have worked closely with local groups advocating for soil remediation and environmental justice.