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Paper short abstract:

This paper analyses the adaptation of corporate practices by Chinese companies and professionals in three industrial mining projects in Guinea. It argues that the controversies have spurred the seeking of authority over dispossession and the cultivation of corporate disciplinary power through CSR.

Paper long abstract:

This paper analyzes the adaptation of corporate practices by Chinese companies and professionals in the midst of contested large-scale industrial mining projects. Specifically, it examines how these professionals adapt corporate practices, particularly in the areas of land acquisition and corporate social responsibility (CSR), in response to evolving expectations, frustrations and contestation on the ground. The study approaches the adaptation of these practices by zooming in on how Chinese professionals perceive and interpret unfolding situations, and zooming out to understand how and which practices are enacted. The paper draws on three greenfield bauxite mining projects in Guinea, where Chinese professionals play an important role in their operations. It argues that despite the divergence in practice performance between different Chinese-invested projects, the controversies surrounding these investments have spurred the seeking of authority over dispossession and the cultivation of corporate disciplinary power. In doing so, the paper uncovers a range of practices through which corporate actors assert authority in the midst of conflict and negotiation to secure their foothold on the land and carry out land acquisition. At the same time, it shows how CSR is translated into a disciplinary mechanism and used to mitigate conflict, cultivate local acceptance and align business operations with the socio-political fabric of the host society. It provides insights into how Chinese companies adapt to investment controversies, thereby contributing to broader debates on transnational governance and multinational corporate practice in Africa.