Paper short abstract:

This article will contribute to anthropological studies on mining labour by addressing how PNG workers have learned to work with Chinese workers in the Ramu Nickel mine, and how the working relationships with Chinese workers influence how PNG workers understand their works and male identities.

Paper long abstract:

This article aims to demonstrate the changing understandings of masculinities by illustrating the ways in which Papua New Guinean workers and Chinese expatriate workers work together within the Ramu Nickel mine. Earlier anthropological studies on mining labour in African countries have explored issues such as the agency of local male labour, the formation of various sorts of individualistic manhood, relations amongst workers, unions and the company, and the changing definitions of manhood. Studies on mining labour in Papua New Guinea (PNG) also show us that both local male workers and migrant male workers are disintegrated from the traditional ways of defining their manhood and are trying to re-define their manhood through the employment from the mine. Reading these findings, I would like to argue that it is necessary to study the experiences of PNG mining workers in a context where the mine is owned and operated by a Chinese company. To study the inception of the Ramu Nickel mine, Graeme Smith's works have reminded us of the importance of unpacking the differences amongst various Chinese companies, Chinese managers and Chinese workers during the construction phase. To contribute to aforementioned findings, this article will address what have changed after the Ramu Nickel mine moves into the production phase since 2012, how PNG workers have learned to work with Chinese workers, and how the working experiences and relationships with Chinese workers influence the way in which PNG workers understand their works and male identities.