CSR agents and mining in New Caledonia: Development brokerage and spatializing effect

Abstract

Nickel extraction and processing have had a profound impact on the social, political, and colonial/decolonial trajectory of New Caledonia over the past 150 years. This activity has not only reshaped the material and mental landscapes of the region, but has also given rise to intermediary agents whose roles and designations have evolved over time. The onset of transnational corporations in the 2000s gave rise to several "travelling models" such as IBA, CSR, and SLO, which act as institutional and material means of conveying global discourses such as sustainable development. This communication is centred on CSR officers as development brokers, an aspect of CSR anthropological literature that has received relatively little attention. The contribution suggests two hypotheses: firstly, that CSR officers differ from traditional development brokers in that they structurally work for the local embedding of the company, and second, that they have a spatialising effect on the definition of mining impact perimeters and the configuration of the mining arena at the local and New Caledonian levels. The analysis draws on data from research projects conducted between 2008 and 2022, particularly focusing on the social biographies of key CSR officers who operate across different firms and sectors, have been utilized. By exploring the spatial dimension of CSR brokerage and its link to company strategy, we argue for a broader understanding of brokerage success/failure, encompassing development outcomes. This comprehensive approach integrates both immanent and intentional factors in assessing development success or failure within the context of mining activities