From Extractivism to Green Extractivism: The new mining rush in Philippines peripheries

The first event for the history departments speaker series is here!

The Philippines has been grappling with complex relationships between the center and its peripheries, which involve a number of divergent interests among the various levels of government, domestic and transnational enterprises, and local communities. The significance of this dynamic is particularly evident in issues surrounding access to natural resources and minerals. This is one of the most obvious manifestations of a generalized weakness of institutions on the ground and of the disconnect between the top-down formulation of natural resource management policies and their implementation on the ground. Today, global energy transition paradigm places disproportionate social and ecological burden on Philippines marginalized communities, already at the frontlines of the climate crisis. The Philippines is a leading nickel producer, a key transition mineral. Through a comparative lens, our talk will explore how local communities and civil society organizations challenge in various ways the global extractive model of development. 

About our speakers: 

Professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Montreal, Dominique Caouette heads the Chair of Asian and Indo-Pacific Studies. His research works revolve around issues of food sovereignty, land and natural resources use, transnational social movements, and contentious politics in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines

Margaux Maurel is a Ph.D. candidate in International Business at HEC Montréal and a researcher affiliated to the CERIUM. Her research interests include: critical minerals mining, energy transition, local struggles, transnational activism, and human rights networks during democratic decline.