Leah Horowitz
: Power Dynamics of Resource Governance in New Caledonia

New Caledonia is an internationally-recognized biodiversity “hotspot” that also possesses 25% of the world’s nickel reserves, and where an independence movement has been active since the 1970s. There, I have examined the ways that socio-cultural contexts, micropolitics, and broader politico-economic forces inform stakeholders’ responses to both locally-initiated conservation and multinational mining. My current research explores indigenous people’s responses to a multinational nickel mining project in the south of New Caledonia.

This work has examined various questions, including the connections between environmental violence and concepts of political legitimacy, reasons for community members’ trust (or lack thereof) in technical/scientific information provided by the company or by an indigenous protest group, and the power dimensions of alliances between indigenous and non-indigenous protesters. By exploring the complexities and power dynamics of conflicts surrounding the management and exploitation of natural resources, my research aims to contribute to our understanding of the importance of relationships and networks – and the crucial role affect plays within these – in enabling and shaping both environmental governance and resistance to it.

Dr. Leah Horowitz’s research examines multi-stakeholder conflicts over environmental governance, focusing on transnational mining projects and both urban and rural biodiversity conservation. Her primary field site is in Melanesia, with additional fieldwork in Asia, Australasia, and North and South America. For further information, please contact anthprog@hawaii.edu.

Event Sponsor
Anthropology, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Marti Kerton, 956-7153, anthprog@hawaii.edu

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