{"title":"Masculinities without men: The work experiences of local female employees in a Chinese mine in Papua New Guinea","authors":"I-Chang Kuo","doi":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101688","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101688","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article engages with research on the escalating global presence of Chinese multinational corporations (CMCs) and their influence on Indigenous female employees through mining operations. This article explores the relationship between local women’s work experiences and their perceptions and interpretations of masculinities, in contrast to the dichotomy caused by the previous concentration on women in mining and the current advocacy in deconstructing the masculine mining industry. To accomplish so, this article first demonstrates the corporate women in mining programs and emphasizes the contradictions between the corporate endorsement of gender equality and the actual predominance of males in physical-demanding jobs. The work experiences of three local women employed in a Chinese mine in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are then illustrated. This article argues that female local employees’ performance and comprehension of masculinities (a woman of all trades, a strong woman, and a determined woman) do not necessarily represent a relationship to men’s bodies or consent to the understanding of men’s suitability for doing laborious and dangerous jobs. This article suggests that the work experiences of these local female employees resonate with and contribute to Halberstam’s (1998) theory about female masculinities and provide an alternative framework for deconstructing the hypermasculine mining sector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47848,"journal":{"name":"Extractive Industries and Society-An International Journal","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101688"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144135144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maria Mavroudi , Michael Tost , Magdalena Eckl , Gloria Ammerer , George Barakos
{"title":"The role of earth observation technologies in enhancing social acceptance of mining operations","authors":"Maria Mavroudi , Michael Tost , Magdalena Eckl , Gloria Ammerer , George Barakos","doi":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101689","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101689","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The low level of social acceptance of the extractive industry in Europe remains a significant challenge, despite the growing use of emerging technologies that improve operational efficiency and promote responsible mining practices. This study investigates public perceptions of mining and examines the potential role of Earth Observation (EO) technologies in enhancing social acceptance, using selected regions in Austria, a country with a long mining tradition, as case studies. A combination of quantitative and qualitative social research methods was used to collect perspectives from residents and stakeholders both near and distant from mining areas. Results indicate that mining regions generally show higher acceptance due to economic dependency and cultural ties, though concerns persist. Urban respondents, while recognizing mining's economic value, emphasized ethical and environmental issues. EO technologies were met with skepticism, reflecting broader distrust of new technologies and media. Many respondents were unaware of EO technologies and their potential mining applications. Although transparency was valued, EO was not seen as vital for public engagement. Overall, EO technologies could enhance transparency and trust, yet unawareness and skepticism remain barriers to their adoption in the mining sector. The research underscores the potential for EO technologies to improve social acceptance, under certain conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47848,"journal":{"name":"Extractive Industries and Society-An International Journal","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101689"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144124239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding the motivations of small-scale miners in Yukon, Canada through a human-nature connection (HNC) framework and meaningful rural work","authors":"C.L. Johnson , K.R Moore , D Johnson","doi":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101685","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101685","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human–nature connections (HNCs) experienced by a community of miners are explored as drivers of small-scale mining in Yukon, Canada. Through 20 placer mine visits and 32 semi-structured interviews with miners, government, and suppliers, the study finds that a connection to nature—not profit—is the primary motivation. Using a HNC framework, the data reveal that miners perceive their livelihoods as meaningful rural work tied to their engagement with the land and natural environment. These connections go beyond material needs, encompassing experiential, cognitive, emotional, and philosophical realms. Yukon miners' ability to make localized decisions and participate in the full mine life cycle highlights the importance of autonomy and proximity to nature. The concept of mining as an ecosystem service emerges when Earth materials are included within the definition of nature. This study challenges dualistic paradigms that separate humans from nature and Earth material needs, and contributes to broader efforts to embed strong sustainability in the mining sector—an approach that recognizes nature as the non-substitutable foundation of all other forms of capital. It also identifies the fragility of HNCs in contexts where excessive stress on ecosystems, remote decision-making, or livelihood insecurity undermines sustainability. Yukon provides a case study for exploring alternative mining models, such as slow mining, which emphasizes responsible practices and local empowerment. These insights contribute to human–nature debates and point toward more sustainable, place-based mining frameworks grounded in strong sustainability principles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47848,"journal":{"name":"Extractive Industries and Society-An International Journal","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101685"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144114994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Extracting insights: A systematic review of mining impacts on indigenous peoples","authors":"Karen Bouchard","doi":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101686","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101686","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mining’s impacts on Indigenous communities are complex and context-specific, shaped by diverse political, legal, and socio-environmental conditions. This article presents a systematic review of 164 peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2014 and 2024, examining how these impacts have been conceptualized and analyzed within the social sciences and humanities. It maps research trends by discipline, geography, methods, and case configuration, and identifies key thematic areas—such as resource governance, environmental change, economic disruption, health, and impacts on culture and gender. The review also examines research design patterns, highlighting recurring tendencies and opportunities to expand empirical and thematic scope. Findings show that mining outcomes are mediated by structural forces—such as legal and institutional arrangements, historical inequities, and power asymmetries—that shape how Indigenous communities experience, negotiate, and contest extractive development. While responses vary—including legal action, political participation, and the assertion of rights—systemic inequities persist. By synthesizing a decade of research, this review advances understanding of Indigenous–extractive relations and provides a foundation for advancing more inclusive, critical, and policy-relevant research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47848,"journal":{"name":"Extractive Industries and Society-An International Journal","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101686"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144099157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The complex economics of a complete ban on child labor in the cobalt supply chain: The case of the DR Congo","authors":"John M. Ulimwengu , Blandine Sanginga","doi":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101687","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101687","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Child labor in the cobalt mining sector of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains entrenched due to widespread poverty, high educational costs, and limited adult employment opportunities. Legal prohibitions, while important, have proven insufficient and may inadvertently drive child labor further underground. This study evaluates alternative, welfare-oriented strategies—including conditional cash transfers (CCTs), educational subsidies, and labor market reforms—to provide sustainable solutions. The analysis finds that even modest annual CCTs per child can significantly reduce child labor, especially when combined with the elimination of indirect schooling costs. Enhancing adult wages further diminishes household reliance on child labor, although this requires broader structural reforms. Corporate social responsibility remains essential; however, voluntary ethical sourcing initiatives have largely failed to address the issue. Effective change will require a comprehensive, phased transition that integrates economic support mechanisms, robust legal enforcement, and binding corporate accountability. Collaboration among governments, businesses, and international stakeholders is critical to developing ethical and sustainable supply chains that eliminate child labor without exacerbating household vulnerability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47848,"journal":{"name":"Extractive Industries and Society-An International Journal","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101687"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144099155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Shifts in the control of natural resources: An analysis of the resource curse in Tin-Rich Bangka Belitung, Indonesia","authors":"Delfirman , Hilmy M. Dzaki","doi":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The resource curse refers to the paradoxical impact of natural resource abundance on a nation's economic development and political stability. Nations with significant natural resource reserves have become reliant on natural resource exports, which in some cases have led to economic downturns and political instability. Indonesia, with its abundant natural resources, is similarly susceptible to this phenomenon. A comprehensive literature review reveals that the resource curse in Indonesia excerpts a significant impact on the regional level, extending beyond the national boundaries. This dynamic aligns with the decentralization of resource governance following the post-reform regional autonomy policy. Subsequently, the state resorted to a recentralization strategy. In practice, this back-and-forth transfer of control has resulted in governance challenges and led to the proliferation of rentier state practices, whereby the state and local elites assert dominant control over resource management, as evidenced by the case of tin mining in Bangka Belitung.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47848,"journal":{"name":"Extractive Industries and Society-An International Journal","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101682"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144070212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Stainless success, battery lag: Evaluation of Indonesia's resource nationalism in nickel","authors":"Selma Benazir Khalil, Anna Broughel","doi":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101677","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101677","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines Indonesia's resource nationalism policy in the nickel industry between 2008 and 2023. The analysis focuses on potential consequences of the 2009 Mining Law’s mineral export ban, implemented in January 2014. Utilizing data on value-added distribution, export volumes, and capital inflows, the research reveals diverging paths for the stainless steel and EV battery sectors. The stainless steel industry experienced significant export growth reaching $11.9 billion in 2022 and increased domestic value-added production and financing. In contrast, the EV battery sector’s exports declined by almost a third from 2014 to 2022. The EV battery industry only became a national priority in 2019, providing insufficient time to develop a comprehensive manufacturing ecosystem. Moreover, the midstream processing capacity crucial for batteries was initially lacking. Product space theory explains the challenges: battery manufacturing requires more advanced production capabilities than Indonesia's existing industries. Recent political support and announced foreign investments indicate progress in the EV sector, but concerns persist over captive coal plants reliance. The study concludes with Indonesia’s shifts beyond strict resource nationalism, namely building partnerships with automotive and battery manufacturers while opening trade. It also highlights risks of aggressive resource nationalism policies, including market distortions, trade disputes, and socio-environmental concerns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47848,"journal":{"name":"Extractive Industries and Society-An International Journal","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101677"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143950385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Towards advancing the Global South’s understanding of mineral criticality: implications of the North–South geopolitical confrontations on critical minerals","authors":"Desire Runganga, Peta Ashworth, Bishal Bharadwaj","doi":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101680","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101680","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The North–South critical minerals conflict, traced back to the 1975 UN General Assembly resource confrontation, is becoming so pronounced that it may slow down or increase the costs associated with the energy transition. To reveal the geopolitical implications of criticality, particularly in weaker Global South countries, this study uses qualitative content analysis to analyse the historical conceptualisation of strategic and critical minerals from 1918 to 2024 and the emerging methodologies from different countries post-2010. The study reveals that criticality was developed from self-interested terms, and there have been some efforts to reframe it as a global concept to promote cooperation in fighting climate change. However, the study notes that the increasing use of self-interested criticality methodologies by China and Global North countries contradicts re-framing criticality as a global concept. Re-framing criticality as a global concept, despite the continued use of geopolitically skewed metrics, may help Global South countries to easily forget criticality’s controversial issues, particularly the Global South’s interest in having a share in global manufacturing. The study concludes that criticality is an important tool that informs international and domestic resource policy. However, it is a scalable, localised concept. Global South countries must localise the criticality to avoid contributing to their own demise, as the concept is non-altruistic.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47848,"journal":{"name":"Extractive Industries and Society-An International Journal","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101680"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144068115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"White Mining’s Green Dream: Entropy and the mirage of sustainability in Northern Chile","authors":"Cristóbal Bonelli , Andrés Pavez","doi":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101683","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101683","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article critically examines the \"green dream\" of lithium mining in northern Chile, framing extraction as indispensable for addressing the climate crisis while obscuring its irreversible ecological, social, and epistemic consequences. Drawing on Bernard Stiegler's concept of <em>Entropocene</em>, we introduce the notion of entropic omissions to analyze how extractivist logics not only conceal damage, but degrade the conditions for perceiving, imagining, and responding to it. Based on ethnographic research in the Atacama Desert, we show how these omissions are embedded in both technical reasoning and institutional frameworks—shaping what is made visible, actionable, and imaginable. Through the cases of a mining engineer and a state agency, we trace how entropy is named yet neutralized, acknowledged yet unthought. We situate these findings within broader debates on entropy, extractivism, and sustainability, offering a critique of degrowth perspectives. While degrowth challenges economic expansion and resource overuse, it overlooks the deeper systemic and colonial dimensions of extractive reasoning. We argue that responses to the climate crisis must go beyond emissions reduction to confront the omissions that sustain extractive futures. Emphasizing the urgency of reclaiming critical capacities, this article calls for awaken alternative ways of dreaming beyond the green extractivist horizon.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47848,"journal":{"name":"Extractive Industries and Society-An International Journal","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101683"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143950384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Is South Africa afflicted by the resource curse?","authors":"Ross Harvey , Stuart Morrison , Pranish Desai","doi":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101678","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exis.2025.101678","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper addresses the question of how best to explain South Africa's prolonged economic stagnation, manifest especially in manufacturing decline, both in total employment share and value addition to the economy. Despite its wealth of natural resources, South Africa's economic performance – especially in the manufacturing sector – has been weak, especially since 2008. The extent to which the country's resource abundance determines manufacturing performance has largely been overlooked in the literature. Utilising analytic narrative, we examine the plausibility of competing hypotheses that may account for manufacturing decline in South Africa. Our primary hypothesis is that South Africa is afflicted by a particular manifestation of the resource curse known as “Dutch Disease”. After examining several explanatory hypotheses, we conclude that the decline of South Africa's manufacturing industry is strongly linked to its reliance on mineral rents, but through multiple channels. The decline is exacerbated by poor institutional quality, itself driven by \"state capture,\" hindering the country's ability to combat corruption and inefficiencies in government effectiveness. To recover from these dynamics, we suggest that South Africa should focus on strengthening institutions, improving political governance, and enhancing financial transparency. Addressing these challenges is crucial to manufacturing recovery, diversifying the economy and fostering broad-based economic development in South Africa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47848,"journal":{"name":"Extractive Industries and Society-An International Journal","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101678"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143923619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}