Joan Kuyek Bücher

The mining industry continues to be at the forefront of colonial dispossession around the world. It controls information about its intrinsic costs and benefits, propagates myths about its contribution to the economy, shapes government policy and regulation, and deals ruthlessly with its opponents. Brimming with case studies, anecdotes, resources, and illustrations, Unearthing Justice exposes the mining process and its externalized impacts on the environment, Indigenous Peoples, communities, workers, and governments. But, most importantly, the book shows how people are fighting back. Whether it is to stop a mine before it starts, to get an abandoned mine cleaned up, to change laws and policy, or to mount a campaign to influence investors, Unearthing Justice is an essential handbook for anyone trying to protect the places and people they love.

In this engaging and passionate guide, a longtime community organizer offers important insights and concrete tools for social justice action at the community level. The discussion addresses the current frustrations of Canadian activists who feel unable to effect change in the global economic system, overwhelmed by the number and complexity of issues and too often unaware or dismissive of other activists’ efforts. Acknowledging the resultant fragmentation of social forces for justice and the environment as well as the empowerment of the economic elite, this argument contends that most attempts at change and community-building fail because people are unable to cooperate. The examination starts at the community level, offering strategies for building movements, asserting democratic political power, and creating organizations based on dignity and respect.