We are delighted to present a really interesting conversation on a yet unexplored facet of extractivism. This month we talked with Saana Hokkanen who is a doctoral researcher in Global Development Studies at University of Helsinki. Saana’s main interest is in the concept of soil extractivism, which is “is a form of capital accumulation based on systemic erasure of soils multispecies life.” Saana gives us insight into how soil is more than “just dirt” and the ways in which modern, industrial agriculture have negatively impacted the array of beings that make up soil. Saana gives us a lot of food for thought in relation to how our modern food system is composed and the multiple levels on which the extractive logics play out.

Want to learn more about Saana’s work?
https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/saana-maarit-hokkanen

Want to read Saana’s article on soil extractivism? https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103298

Saana Hokkanen - If you are what you eat, shouldn’t we care more about how our food is grown?

The third roundtable in our online series for 2024/25 seeks to explore the diverse forms of representation that emerge from and engage with extractivist activities and their underpinning ideologies. We invite speakers from various disciplines to consider forms broadly, including but not limited to novels, poetry, travel writing, memoirs, petitions, photographs, and picture postcards.

The aim is to foster a dialogue that transcends conventional definitions of genres and forms, to think about how extractivism can generate unique forms of representation, and how these forms, in turn, critically engage with the practices and ideologies of extractivism. Additionally, we aim to create a space where speakers and attendees can share the obstacles they have encountered when working with forms that pose linguistic, cultural, or methodological challenges, and to discuss how these challenges shape their interpretations and analyses.

Speakers:

Dr Adelene Buckland, Department of English, King’s College London
Dr Julia Ditter, Department of Literature, Art, and Media Studies, University of Konstanz
Associate Professor Nathan K. Hensley, Department of English, Georgetown University
Associate Professor Charlotte Rogers, Environmental Humanities, University of Virginia

The workshop was chaired by Dr Ge Tang, who is a Postdoctoral Fellow on Minerals.


Minerals Online Roundtable III: Extraction and Forms of Representation

Minerals Online Roundtable IV: Extractivism and Material Histories
Online
Apr 28, 9:00 am–10:30 am

The fourth and final roundtable in our online series for 2024/25 seeks to explore extractivism through the lens of material histories, encouraging expansive thinking about material culture associated with extractive practices and ideas.

Participants are invited to consider a wide array of materials, from extractive tools to architectures, from domestic artefacts to artworks created in mining fields, and from environmental remnants to archival records, etc. This roundtable aims to reveal how material culture can illuminate broader issues related to extractivism, including but not limited to race, gender, and environmental impacts, while also enabling the recovery of lost voices and stories.

Speakers:

Dr Madhavi Jha, Assistant Professor, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani
Dr Oliver Tappe, Substitute Professor, University of Kontstanz
Dr Nicholas Y. H. Wong, Assistant Professor, University of Hong Kong

The workshop was chaired by Dr Ge Tang, who is a Postdoctoral Fellow on Minerals.

Minerals Online Roundtable IV: Extractivism and Material Histories

We are delighted to welcome Alexander Dunlap back to the EXALT podcast for a conversation about his latest work. Xander has been looking at rare earth element mining, lithium mining, and solar panel lifecycles in the United States. Right now, he is writing up the research on the disposal and decommissioning of solar panels, which is where our conversation kicks off. Xander found that even in highly regulated states it is more economically efficient to just landfill them rather than recycle them (even if they would be technically recyclable). Low carbon technologies are being used in a lot of insidious ways in industrial and capitalist societies. We need to really reflect on what renewability really means and we need to think hard as researchers before we blindly engage with public relations words (i.e. sustainability, renewability). 

Check out the Justice in Renewable Energy Supply Chains projects investigating the life cycle of solar panels on the ground, where you can find more information, articles and policy briefs:
https://www.bu.edu/igs/research/projects/justice-in-renewable-energy-supply-chains/ 

If you would like to check out Xander’s other episodes, here are the direct links:
How is this system killing us and what can we do? https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/xander-dunlap-how-is-this-system-killing-us-and-what-can-we-do/id1499621252?i=1000650809357 

Until You Become Ungovernable, Why Would Anyone Listen to You? https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/alexander-dunlap-until-you-become-ungovernable-why/id1499621252?i=1000587449856 

Is "green energy" really that green (and is it better called "fossil fuel plus")? https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/alexander-dunlap-is-green-energy-really-that-green/id1499621252?i=1000506999251  

Check out Xander’s upcoming talk (26 Aug. 2025, 14:00-16:00) at University of Copenhagen https://cape.ku.dk/eng/calendar/2025/exploring-the-life-of-solar-panels/  

Want to learn more about Xander’s work? Check out his research profiles here: 
https://www.bu.edu/igs/profile/alexander-dunlap/
https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/alexander-dunlap
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alexander-Dunlap?ev=hdr_xprf

Alexander Dunlap - How do we recognize the political occupation facilitating extractivism?

For the first time ever Turning Earth was broadcast live from the DDR studio. This month I was joined by David from Slí Eile to discuss their upcoming Day of Resistance in the Sperrin Mountains, to support to people there who have been fighting off an international mining company.

We were joined as well by Conor McCabe, to bring a broader analysis to the discussion and help us understand the nature of the colonial and neocolonial exploitation of Ireland by foreign capital.

https://www.instagram.com/sli_eile/

https://www.facebook.com/p/Greencastle-Peoples-Office-100063579042613/

DDR E.020 Day of Resistance in The Sperrins with Sli Eile and Conor McCabe

In episode 3 of Extracts, hosts Sarah Comyn and Megan Kuster arein conversation with Siyabonga Mthembu. Based in Johannesburg, Siya is the lead member of one of South Africa’s best known musical ensembles, The Brother Moves On. The Brother Moves On is widely regarded for their music which, in their own words, offers "transitional music for a transitional generation", An incredibly popular band, The Brother Moves On attracts huge audiences in South Africa and around the world. Their live shows are known for the band’s experimental performance approach which mixes art, music, and stories to create the conditions for transformative audience experiences. In today’s episode, Siya talks with us about the music industry, how Johannesburg’s gold mining foundations and legacies continue to shape his work, his concept of ultra sanity, and the projects he is looking forward to experimenting with next.

About Extracts

EXTRACTS is a podcast series about how artists are working to reimagine the potential futures of mined, excavated, and extractivist landscapes hosted by Sarah Comyn and Megan Kuster.

The music is from the South African performance art ensemble ‘The Brother Moves On’. We gratefully acknowledge the UCD Humanities Institute and UCD’s College of Arts & Humanities Research Strands Seed Funding scheme for funding this project.

Here's the link to John Grzinich's album 'Geofractions,' mentioned in the intro: https://maaheli.bandcamp.com/album/geofractions

Extracts - Episode 3. Siyabonga Mthembu

This month we are delighted to be joined by Markus Kröger, professor of Global Development Studies at University of Helsinki. Markus has joined the show before as a founder of the EXALT Initiative and as a PI in the Trees for Development project. This time Markus is here to talk to us about his new book from University of Cambridge Press, Clearcut: Political Economies of Deforestation. This open access book will be published open access in October 2025. Markus gives us a sneak peek into the key topics of the book, primarily the mechanisms of regionally dominant political economies (RDPE) and the role they play in driving extractive sectors. To make this novel theorization, Markus looked at cattle capitalism in Brazil, narco-gold in the Amazon, and paper pulping in Finland. Markus shows how these three different RDPEs drive deforestation in their respective locations.  

Interested in reading Clearcut? (Open access out now!) https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/clearcut/8BBC0BFBF9AF30A01D4A1F6F6DA8E89C

Interested in learning more about Markus’ work? https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/markus-kr%C3%B6ger  

Interest in the Trees For Development Project? https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/trees-for-development

Markus Kröger - What path dependencies determine if a forest is Clearcut? (Clearcut book discussion)

In episode 5 of Extracts, hosts Sarah Comyn and Megan Kuster are in conversation with artist Adrián Balseca about his art practice making visible the often not-so-easily seen narratives enfolded in regional extractive economies, bodies, labour, and mobility. 

Born in the city of Quito in Ecuador, Adrián became involved with socially-engaged arts projects at a young age. Today his work incorporates video, installation, sculptural objects, photography, and graphic design. Similar to Gloria Anzaldúa’s approach of turning to much earlier texts and records, Adrián’s art work is inspired by historical archives and his work explores relationships between minerals, human bodies, and health. In this episode, Adrián speaks with us about his process, his materials, and his ideas about history as his clay and travel as a mode of thinking. 

You can find out more about Adrian's work on his instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/adrian_balseca

The conversation with Adrián was recorded on 19 November 2024. 

Our music is by the South African performance art ensemble ‘The Brother Moves On.’ 

We are grateful for the support of the UCD Humanities Institute, and UCD’s College of Arts & Humanities Research Strands Seed Funding scheme, for funding this project.

Extracts - Episode 5. Adrián Balseca

In episode 6 of extracts, hosts Sarah Comyn and Megan Kuster are in conversation with Ignacio Acosta, who is an artist and researcher working with photography and video in territories under pressure from extractive industries. His collaborative documentary practice, use of drone technology and camera traps, and immersive installations aim to help audiences build a connection to the places impacted by extractive industry and contribute to activist social movements trying to project sites at risk of large scale mining.

Find out more about Ignacio Acosta's work on his website: http://ignacioacosta.com

They recorded the conversation with Ignacio on 19 November 2024. 

About Extracts

EXTRACTS is a podcast series about how artists are working to reimagine the potential futures of mined, excavated, and extractivist landscapes hosted by Sarah Comyn and Megan Kuster.

The music is from the South African performance art ensemble ‘The Brother Moves On’. We gratefully acknowledge the UCD Humanities Institute and UCD’s College of Arts & Humanities Research Strands Seed Funding scheme for funding this project.

The music is from the South African performance art ensemble ‘The Brother Moves On’.
We gratefully acknowledge the UCD Humanities Institute and UCD’s College of Arts & Humanities Research Strands Seed Funding scheme for funding this project.

Extracts - Episode 6. Ignacio Acosta

In episode 7 of Extracts, hosts Sarah Comyn and Megan Kuster are in conversation with interdisciplinary artist Jeanine Oleson (Associate Professor of Sculpture at Rutgers University) about her work on copper and more recent projects.

Jeanine’s art work invites audiences into multi-sensory experiences, often drawing on wry humour and absurdity as a mode of expressing critiques of mastery. In this episode, Jeanine speaks about her interest in labour and workers’ rights, how growing up in a port city developed around the fishing and forestry industries in the US state of Oregon influenced her development as an artist, how copper became the protagonist of her ‘CONduct/(or conDUCT) Matters’ project, and the process of filming at Chino Mine, one of the largest open-pit copper mines in the United States. 

In the show, Jeanine mentions a historic 1954 film based on an actual strike against the Empire Zinc Mine in New Mexico, and the film is called Salt of the Earth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk3-As0yh3k

You can find out more about Jeanine Oleson's work on her website: https://www.jeanineoleson.com

The conversation with Jeanine was recorded on 19 November 2024. 

About Extracts

EXTRACTS is a podcast series about how artists are working to reimagine the potential futures of mined, excavated, and extractivist landscapes hosted by Sarah Comyn and Megan Kuster.

The music is from the South African performance art ensemble ‘The Brother Moves On’. We gratefully acknowledge the UCD Humanities Institute and UCD’s College of Arts & Humanities Research Strands Seed Funding scheme for funding this project.

The music is from the South African performance art ensemble ‘The Brother Moves On’.
We gratefully acknowledge the UCD Humanities Institute and UCD’s College of Arts & Humanities Research Strands Seed Funding scheme for funding this project.


Extracts - Episode 7. Jeanine Oleson

Dublin-based podcast documenting grassroots activism in Ireland

Recordings of academic lectures and papers from workshops, conferences and seminars in the University College Dublin Humanities Institute. The Institute provides a creative architectural and conceptual space for interdisciplinary research in the humanities and allied disciplines.

The podcasts are recorded and managed by Real Smart Media. https://soundcloud.com/real-smart-media

Resource extraction impacts our daily lives and has helped push the climate to the brink, but there are people around the world living and fighting for alternative ways forward. Join hosts Christopher Chagnon and Sophia Hagolani-Albov and their guests on the last Friday of each month for a discussion of the impacts of extractivisms, alternative ways forward, and stories from people living the struggle every day. If you are someone who is interested in how our environment and societies have come to their current state, or learning about different ways we can move forward, this is the podcast for you.

New tracks tagged #Extractivism