Format/Structure

We would like to propose a 90 minute session, starting a round of presentations by panelists followed by a moderated panel discussion.

Long Abstract

Minerals classified as 'critical' and ‘strategic’ are framed as essential for both the transition away from a fossil fuel-based economy and to ensure the build-up and maintenance of military power. As advanced and industrialised countries race to secure mineral supplies, the invocation of ‘decarbonisation, economic competitiveness and geopolitical threats’ is structuring supply chains. This has led to increased mining activities, disproportionately affecting marginalised communities in the Global South through detrimental social and ecological impacts.

Furthermore, current calls for de-risking EU states' access to 'critical' raw materials through intensifying the 'onshoring' of mining and processing operations across European territories have also sparked protest movements that raise concerns about the socio-ecological implications of this reorientation. These dynamics highlight the inherent contestations and contradictions embedded in mineral modernity – often amid accusations of anti-ecological motives or NIMBYism.

The panel examines the multi-scalar dynamics, contradictions, and contestations of both the externalisation and onshoring (or internalisation) of mineral extraction through a (geo-)political ecology lens. This includes engaging with the socio-materiality of the making, becoming and aftermaths of critical minerals as well as the scalar politics of extraction, where e.g. Brussels-based raw material policies intersect with diverse local contexts, exploring the tensions between EU objectives and place-based resistances.

We aim to understand how competing interests of environmental protection, social justice, and national or supply security are navigated across scales, ideational construction and asymmetric power structures. Paper presentations will cover Global North and Global South perspectives and connections, and generate knowledge that unpacks the critical political ecology of minerals.

This Panel has 14 pending paper proposals.
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