AFTERWORD Places, migration and sustainability: anthropological reflections on mining and movement

Abstract

Based on ethnographic research around the Misima and Lihir gold mines in Papua New Guinea, this Afterword provides anthropological reflections on the main themes of the articles in this issue. Endorsing the call for interdisciplinary research on mining, I present instantiations of the varying meanings of place, migration and sustainability. I describe variations in perceptions of place between different sites and these are also subject to change over time. The commoditization of land and engagement with capitalism profoundly alter knowledge and understanding of place and ideals of development. Migration occurs at different rates over the life of the mine but has a lasting effect on the stabi..