Decolonising, multiplicities and mining in the Eastern Goldfields, Western Australia

Gibbs, L.M. (2003) Decolonising, multiplicities and mining in the Eastern Goldfields, Western Australia. Australian Geographical Studies, 41(1), pp. 17-28. (doi: 10.1111/1467-8470.00189)

Abstract

In this ‘postcolonial’ era, peoples and places around the globe continue to face ongoing colonisation. Indigenous peoples in particular experience colonisation in numerous manifestations. Despite recent attempts to ‘decolonise’ indigenous spaces, hegemonic systems of production, governance and thinking often perpetuate colonial structures and relationships, resulting in further entrenched colonisation or ‘deep colonising’ (Rose, 1999). The interface between indigenous communities and the mining industry provides fertile ground for the tensions emerging between decolonising and deep colonising. Gold mining operations at Placer Dome’s Granny Smith mine in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia presents a valuable case study for examining this tension. Changes taking place at the mine site are decolonising in intent, though outcomes may be deep colonising in effect. Recent discussion among cultural geographers of meanings of place, Ollman’s (1993) notion of vantage point and a broadly postcolonial literature inform consideration of this tension. Acknowledgment and incorporation of multiple vantage points into new resource management systems allows current hegemonic approaches to be rethought, and provides insights for the shift towards genuinely decolonising processes.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: colonialism, mining, deep colonising, Eastern Goldfields, Western Australia, Placer Dome, vantage point
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gibbs, Dr Leah
• Authors: Gibbs, L.M.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor; G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• Research Group: Human Geography Research Group
• Journal Name: Australian Geographical Studies
• Publisher: Blackwell on behalf of the Institute of Australian Geographers Inc.
• ISSN: 0004-9190