Tracing the Veins

Of Copper, Culture, and Community from Butte to Chuquicamata

In Tracing the Veins, Janet L. Finn takes readers on a powerful journey across landscapes shaped by copper mining, community struggle, and cultural identity. Connecting the towns of Butte, Montana and Chuquicamata, Chile—two of the world’s most iconic copper mining regions—this groundbreaking book explores how global systems of extraction are intimately tied to the local experiences of work, resistance, and belonging.

With a blend of ethnographic storytelling, historical research, and cultural analysis, Finn examines how mining has carved both physical and social landscapes, influencing everything from labor relations to gender roles, from childhood to collective memory. As she moves between North and South America, she uncovers the deep emotional and political ties that bind communities together—and the ways they navigate forces far beyond their control.

Tracing the Veins is more than a study of mining; it’s an exploration of identity, justice, and interconnection. Readers will walk away with a renewed sense of how place, power, and people are deeply intertwined across borders and generations.

Reviews for Tracing the Veins: Of Copper, Culture, and Community from Butte to Chuquicamata

  • A stunning and compassionate account of how communities endure and adapt in the shadow of global industry. Finn’s storytelling is vivid, grounded, and deeply respectful.

    - Dr. Mariana Torres, Professor of Latin American Studies, University of New Mexico

  • Finn writes with both analytical clarity and emotional depth. Tracing the Veins is a profound look at the cost of extraction—not just on the land, but on the human spirit.

    - Jonathan Michaels, Author of Steel Town Dreams

  • This book redefines what it means to connect the local and the global. A must-read for anyone interested in environmental justice, labor, or Latin American history.

    - Carmen Elise Rojas, Director, Center for Global Labor Studies