Description
Book Synopsis Exploring the social complexities of the Frieda River Project in Papua New Guinea, this book tells the story of local stakeholder strategies on the eve of industrial development, largely from the perspective of the Paiyamo – one of the project’s so-called ‘impact communities’. Engaging ideas of knowledge, belief and personhood, it explains how fifty years of encounters with exploration companies shaped the Paiyamo’s aspirations, made them revisit and re-examine their past, and develop new strategies to move towards a better, more prosperous future.
Trade Review “There is really nothing quite like Skrzypek’s volume in print... Skrzypek has done an impressive job of bringing [her ideas] together in a rich ethnographic context.” • Dan Jorgensen, Western University
“This is an outstanding ethnography. It fills a major gap in the literature and our understanding of the deep social and cultural changes that occur as local communities anticipate large-scale resource extraction on their lands. A must read or anyone who wants to make sense of transformations that arise after mining actually begins.” • Nick Bainton, The University of Queensland
Table of Contents List of Illustration, Figures, Maps and Tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
Notes on Text
Introduction
Chapter 1. Role Play
Chapter 2. Making up Paiyamo
Chapter 3. Make-Believe
Chapter 4. The Book of Paiyamo
Chapter 5. Precipitating the Mine
Conclusion
References
Index
