Peoples knocking on heaven’s doors: Conflicts between international astronomical projects and local communities

Abstract

The contemporary world is strongly shaped by the complex links between the local and the global in the present phase of capitalism. This scenario is essential for understanding cultural dynamics, including those that are of main interest for cultural astronomy. Nevertheless, the special epistemic status that is usually assigned to academic astronomy helps hide the power relations involved in public debates about the knowledge of the sky. In this context, the recurring conflicts between large international astronomical enterprises and local communities are special situations that bring these disguised aspects of astronomy to light. Therefore, our work draws on these clashes to discuss the tensions among different notions of celestial space, knowledge, territory, public interest, and identity, taking as a case study the rising controversy relating to the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) in Hawai‟i, within the context of the XXIX General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union. Also, we analyze the specific role of cultural astronomy in these types of conflicts, which once again demonstrates the political character of all knowledge.