Browsing by Author "Robertson T"

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    An ethnography of entanglements: Mercury’s presence and absence in artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Antioquia Columbia
    (Association of Social Anthropologists of Aotearoa New Zealand with assistance from the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Otago, 23/08/2018) Robertson T; Farrelly T
    This paper describes a ‘follow the thing’ methodology as applied to an ethnography of entanglements. This methodology allowed for a materially and politically nuanced understanding of Antioquia, Colombia’s response to mercury pollution. This pollution primarily originates from the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) industry where mercury is employed in the gold extraction process. In following the mercury, the authors experiment with an ethnography of entanglements. The paper discusses how they address the current lacunae in mining ethnographies by focussing on mining as ‘practice’, going past the provision of technical descriptions of mining and ethnographic descriptions of miners to an ethnography of mining. This ethnographic approach considers the politics of materiality and addresses a lack of attention to the impacts of the presence and absence of materials on social life. Various mining practices in Antioquia illuminate how entanglements between miners and mercury have been co-constitutive of particular modes of ASGM. The paper will also provide examples of ‘negative mercury entanglements’ where efforts have been made to extricate mercury from mining practices. Rather than creating a vacuum, these mercury absences have been generative of new contested symbolic and material arrangements including entrepreneurial and ‘responsible’ mining, debates over miners’ rights, and the creation of new political relationships between ASGM and large-scale mining companies.
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    An Ethnography of Entanglements: Mercury’s Presence and Absence in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold-mining in Antioquia, Colombia
    (The World Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA), 1/03/2020) Robertson T; Farrelly T
    This paper describes a ‘follow the thing’ methodology as applied to an ethnography of entanglements. This methodology allowed for a materially and politically nuanced understanding of Antioquia, Colombia’s response to mercury pollution. This pollution primarily originates from the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) industry where mercury is employed in the gold extraction process. In following the mercury, the authors experiment with an ethnography of entanglements. The paper discusses how they address the current lacunae in mining ethnographies by focussing on mining as ‘practice’, going past the provision of technical descriptions of mining and ethnographic descriptions of miners to an ethnography of mining. This ethnographic approach considers the politics of materiality and addresses a lack of attention to the impacts of the presence and absence of materials on social life. Various mining practices in Antioquia illuminate how entanglements between miners and mercury have been co-constitutive of particular modes of ASGM. The paper will also provide examples of ‘negative mercury entanglements’ where efforts have been made to extricate mercury from mining practices. Rather than creating a vacuum, these mercury absences have been generative of new contested symbolic and material arrangements including entrepreneurial and ‘responsible’ mining, debates over miners’ rights, and the creation of new political relationships between ASGM and large-scale mining companies.
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    Catalysing interdisciplinary research at Massey University
    (2017-06-01) Goodyer JE; Ryan A; Robertson T
    As the research environment in which Massey University operates shifts to prioritise high-impact research and interdisciplinary research, it is imperative that the University acts proactively to develop the necessary capability to respond to these changes. From the findings of this research we propose that a key mechanism for helping to catalyse interdisciplinary research at Massey can be provided through establishing an ‘Integration and Implementation Sciences framework’ at Massey. An Integration and Implementation Sciences framework has immediate resonance in relation to wicked problems associated with fields such as Agrifood, sustainability and health. Interdisciplinary research is to be encouraged and supported through the creation of a new centrally-funded IDR seed fund. A key mechanism to support the development of staff expert in interdisciplinary research is through the creation of a ‘Framework for Interdisciplinary Research Professional Development’