Presentation short abstract

Drawing on seven months of ethnography, this paper shows how diverse groups in Sibuyan, Philippines, rooted in anti-extractivism, faith networks, and middle-class place-based claims, forge a contingent coalition against nickel mining, revealing plural environmentalisms in the Global South.

Presentation long abstract

In the Philippines, Sibuyan has become an emblematic site of anti-extractivist struggle for the archipelago. Sibuyanon are recognized for their courage, having maintained a barricade for more than two years against Altai Philippines Mining Corporation. Drawing on seven months of ethnography and 200 interviews conducted during my doctoral fieldwork, this paper examines the plural and evolving struggle of Sibuyanon against large-scale nickel mining over two decades. Sibuyanon Against Mining (SAM) is a grassroots coalition rooted in long-standing anti-extractivist traditions, connected with ecologist priests, and advancing a holistic political vision grounded in environmental and social justice. Their deep ties with other movements across the archipelago embed them in wider advocacy networks and trans-scalar solidarities. However, triggering events have reshaped the anti-mining landscape. In 2023, a violent confrontation with the police catalyzed the formation of new groups. Among them, Bantay Kalikasan Sibuyan brings together middle-class residents with stronger financial resources and a “not in my backyard” yet pro-development perspective. Despite their differing political visions and strategies, their profound relation to the island and strong sense of identity allow Sibuyanon to form a plural front of resistance. The paper conceptualizes community resistance as a political field composed of heterogeneous actors with distinct legitimacy claims, resources, and environmental imaginaries. Rather than treating communities as a unified actor, it shows how divergent and sometimes competing forms of environmentalism coalesce into contingent coalitions shaped by historical trajectories, extractive violence, and affective attachments. This reframing contributes plural environmentalisms and environmental justice in Global South extractive frontiers.