Imperial contradictions: is the Valley a watershed, region, or cyborg?

摘要: Abstract Is California's Imperial Valley a watershed? If so, at what level and by topographic logic? it region? geographic Are its boundaries natural, political, or multivalent on different scales? In short, this essay looks the special (re)production of environmental conditions within cyborg world. Here, is comprised (a) Colorado River water; (2) migratory waterfowl; (3) accidentally manufactured, but intentionally seeded food chain Salton Sea San Andreas Fault, (4) Mexican field labor; (5) public universities extension services; (6) global markets supply chains; (7) international biotechnology, chemical seed conglomerates, (8) state federal regulation water rights, regulations markets. The cyborg, historical entity interdependently nature, technoscience humanity. This, characterization, however, raises problems with conceptions massive losses waterfowl from avian cholera Sea, agroecological devastation caused unintentional introduction Silver Leaf whitefly, “wastage” constrained rights as crises nature. articulation perspective sees product relations uneven indeterminate ecological process, technoscientific trajectories, human practices. Extending cyborg's integration technology social agency, relational reading James O’Connor's second contradiction capitalism thesis developed. political ecology Haraway material semiotics, while broadly operating levels analysis, prove surprisingly resonant.