MESKLA | Brewyon Drudh #3: A Conversation about Extraction

In this third episode of the MESKLA | Brewyon Drudh podcast series I am joined by Dr Hilary Orange & Prof. Emma Gilberthorpe who share some of their thoughts and research about the impacts of extraction industries on communities around the world, and the relationship of this labour to identity and sense of place and belonging.  

 

Emma Gilberthorpe is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of East Anglia, UK. Her research is concerned with the social and cultural aspects of development. Her main area of research examines the parameters of social organisation, kinship and exchange in contexts of large-scale resource extraction (mining and oil/gas extraction). She is particularly interested in the implications of the cultural incompatibilities that exist between large-scale, capitalist corporations and small-scale societies. The majority of her work has focused on the social, economic, political and environmental impacts of mining (Ok Tedi) and oil extraction (Kutubu) in Papua New Guinea. She has also conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Guinea, West Africa and managed projects in Zambia.  

 

Dr. Hilary Orange is Senior Lecturer in Industrial Heritage at Swansea University. She is also the Chair of the ‘CHAT’ group (Contemporary and Historical Archaeology in Theory). Her doctorate (UCL Institute of Archaeology) considered public perceptions of Cornish mining landscape and she has published on industrial heritage, public archaeology, Cornish identity and the heritage of popular music. Hilary’s most recent publications include a chapter on Cornish landscape in the volume ‘Transcending the Nostalgic: Landscapes of Postindustrial Europe beyond Representation’ (2021) and a chapter on Rock music memorial roots and routes in London (2021).

 

MESKLA | Brewyon Drudh (tr. Mussel Gathering | Precious Fragments) is a multi-platform project using sculpture-making and conversation to explore contemporary Cornish cultural identity. To find out more please visit www.sovayberriman.co.uk/MESKLA-Brewyon-Drudh. Through workshops, podcasts, a symposium and an exhibition the project invites people to share their experiences of identity and Cornwall, and their views on Cornish culture and its relationship to land, language, heritage, tourism, the Cornish diaspora and much more. 

 

These podcasts record conversations between me, Sovay Berriman, and guests whose research or lived experienced touches on the project themes. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own. All conversations are carried out with a spirit of generosity and openness, creating space for the discussions to twist and turn.

 

Govenek a'm beus hwi dhe omlowenhe goslowes orto/ I hope you enjoy listening  

 

Please note: These podcasts were recorded in different locations and with a range of equipment. As such the sound quality varies and at times external factors are more present than ideal in the recordings.  

 

Resources: For a full list of resources and references for the project please visit https://sovayberriman.co.uk/MESKLA-Resources   Dr Hilary Orange - ‘Transcending the Nostalgic: Landscapes of Postindustrial Europe beyond Representation’ (2021) DéPOT podacst - Deindustrialisation & the Politics of Our Time Prof. Emma Gilberthorpe - INDIS - Indiginous Sustainable Development 
https://research-portal.uea.ac.uk/en/persons/emma-gilberthorpe 
'From the Horse's Mouth: perceptions of development from Papua New Guinea' (Gilberthorpe 2005) - film

Bernard Deacon
Caradoc Peters
Philip Payton
Crossed Lines: migrant fisher experiences in Scotland - film 
Development Studies Research Journal
https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2022-02-11/cornwall-has-as-many-homeless-families-as-holiday-lets
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-cornwall-50835208 The Levant Mining Disaster 1919 - film