A local controversy on responsible mining: polarization, technological

change and commitments

Ph.D. (C) Ernesto Andrade-Sastoque

Governance of Knowledge and Innovation
Department of Science, Technology, and Policy Studies (STƏPS)
 Conceptual clarification

In this case, when I say sociotechnical controversy is because I am talking more about
a huge situated socio-technical-political conflict than about a dispute between
technicians or engineers constructing technology in a lab.

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If I say Sustainable Development I am referring to the notion where sustainability and
economic growth are co-constitutive. I am no talking about the old dichotomy between
environmentalist and developmentalists.

Sustainability
“old Development,
progress,
version” economic
growth

Sustainability
“new Development,
progress,
version” economic
growth

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Currently the mere extractivism is understood as a sort of high-intensity and/or large
scale natural-resources extraction, which is focused in the exportation at least of the
50% of the exploitation as raw materials almost without processing (Gudynas, 2013).
This perspective is changing.

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Document Year Responsible AND Innovation
difference difference Year Academic documents
0 1968 1
10 9 1977 11
12 14 1991 23
16 3 1994 39
10 2 1996 49
3 4 2000 52
13 2 2002 65
69 3 2005 134
11 2 2007 145
11 2 2009 156
59 1 2010 215
29 1 2011 244
60 2 2013 304
13 1 2014 317
13 1 2015 330
1 2016 175

Country Documents
United States 843

United Kingdom 365

Netherlands 187
Germany 177

Canada 176

Spain 135

France 123

Australia 118

Brazil 116

Italy 115

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This is Colombia…The Case: La Colosa

This document, stablished four main

components for the responsible mining: 1)
preservation of cultural significant ecological
areas and options for uses of the resources;
2) ensure the capitalization of the
environment avoiding the negative effects; 3)
to be sure that the mine represents benefits
for workers and communities, taking into
account prior consultation and relocation as
necessary processes, and 4) to ensure that
governance structures are adequate to
places where mining activities take place
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 The texture of the controversy

Actions

Controversy Futures
Sociotechnical
imaginaries

Meanings

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Who and non-working-actions

Artistic
collectives

Universitary
student-
movement

Environmental
Local, Alliance of Relevant network committees
National and Social Groups Local
international academics
NGO’s

Environmental
movement
Agrarian
movement

Large-rice Cortolima -
farmers regional
Local environment
governments authority

Senators

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Who and working-actions
Colombian
indusdtrial
Asociation
Consultants i.e
Guayacanal

ACMM

Anglo Gold Ashanti

Alliance of Relevant
External Social Groups
Academics

Transport,
avocado and
bean Mass media
cooperatives

Aprominca National
– Association
citizenship of Mining
movement National
Governement
National
Agency of
Mining
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 Responsible mining meaning in dispute
PIVOT NON-WORKING SENSE WORKING SENSE
Popular consult. Tool of resistence The problem
Environmental law Tool of resistence A responsible innovation force
Functional –
STI Functional - constitutive
complementary
Rationality Border Modern
The antipode Omission Stigmatization
Knowledge
Mostly informal Mostly formal
appropiation
Linkages Cooperation Productive
Public deliberation Open Constrained
Territorial vocation Agriculture Mining
Sustainability Unfair Believe
The care of the environment and
Economic Growth Inviable
communities
The public
Compelled & conquer Flowing & instrumental
institutions
Communication Expanded Oriented
The people Constitutive Instrumental 08/09/2016 10
Political culture Participative Technocratic 08/09/2016 10
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 Responsible innovation?

The di/stabilization of dynamics of

Responsible Mining and legal guidelines in
Colombia allow the adaptation of
methods, techniques and devices that
could support widely other non-extractive
purposes, for instance, to create a
complete open-source national core
repository which allows a broad, open and
democratic debate to define what the
people who live in those territories wants
to do with the natural richness.
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This is also Colombia Now
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The key point 1
In war-extractive-contexts where:

i) there are practices of the eviromentalism of the poor.

ii) the social-resistence bases has not been completely

eliminated…and

iii) there is engagement of local academics and educated

people with strong “territorial roots” and socio-environmental
commitments…

the sociotechnical controversies around responsibility and the

sustainability helps to create some democratic dynamics.

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The key point 2: As Warnaass (2012) would says, mining
companies operating and enacting responsibility, do not
meet the objective of the mitigation of difficulties that such
companies represents for communities. Certainly the
responsibility in action is constitutive of the conflict's
dynamic, in which the polarization of the population
becomes in a permanent situation, due the economic
effects produced by the technologies and programs
developed by the company which favor some groups and
exclude others.

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 The key point 3: The responsible mining is more that an euphemism is a
complex practical-discursive strategy to enact a particular shape of
extractivism that I have started to name as sustainable exctractivism . Which
is convergent with the concept of progressive extractivism (Gudynas, 2013):
a kind of extractivism which is focused on the solution of social, political and
economic problems.

Future

Sustainability

Responsability

Hidden
Present
Extractivism

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For the reflection

It is quite important to understand the geopolitics of

knowledge in order to create international bonds
which allows a better governance to local decisions.
An adequate appropriation of the normative
perspectives of the Responsible Research and
Innovation is enough to cope “dramatic” grand
challenges?

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GRACIAS

Ph.D. (C) Ernesto Andrade-Sastoque

Department of Science, Technology, and Policy
Studies (STƏPS)

E.ANDRADESASTOQUE@UTWENTE.NL

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