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Accepted Paper:

"Taking back what is rightfully ours": the moral ambiguity of the informal gold market in Tabubil, PNG  
Angela MacMillan (The University of Western Ontario)

Paper short abstract:

Alongside the Ok Tedi mine is a shadow economy involving the marketing of gold, which is procured semi-legitimately through artisanal mining or illicitly through theft. This paper will address the moral positions of actors involved in the informal gold market by examining their personal narratives.

Paper long abstract:

The Oksapmin live in the rural hinterland of the Ok Tedi mine and the town of Tabubil, PNG. A major social consequence of mining for the Oksapmin has been the transformation and reorientation of social relationships due to high rates of rural-urban migration. In the absence of formal employment, many migrants reside in the informal peri-urban settlements surrounding Tabubil where livelihoods include artisanal mining and the informal marketing of gold that is often procured through illicit means. While these activities are potentially lucrative, they also occupy a morally grey area, resulting in ethical dilemmas for participants.

In this paper, I seek to examine the moral dimensions of the shadow economy in Tabubil by discussing the personal narratives of Oksapmin migrants who are involved in the informal marketing of gold. Very often there is a strong sense that individuals involved in artisanal mining and the informal gold market are staking a claim to what is rightfully theirs based on traditional ideas of resource ownership. While these individuals have failed to secure formal employment at the mine, they are able to accrue monetary benefits in the shadow economy, demonstrating the democratizing dimensions of these activities. Furthermore, how migrants spend the money earned through these activities reveals the changing nature of the moral economy since profits are often spent in huge displays of wealth, rather than being redirected towards social obligations.

Panel Land01
Large-scale resource extraction projects and moral encounters
  Session 1