July - August 2021
Centre for Civil Society - Special
Webinar Series
The Resource Curse
Our Seminar Series continues online for 2021 - please
join us for webinar discussions on the theme of the Resource Curse.
The ‘resource curse’ or ‘paradox of plenty’ refers to
the failure of resource rich countries benefiting from their natural resource
wealth. This is especially relevant in contexts where there are lower rates of
economic growth and stability and where income from natural resources impacts
on development initiatives. This series considers these questions through an
engagement with activists and academics across the spectrum of debates on the
political economy of extractive resources.
Facilitators: Andries Motau &
Danford Chibvongodze
The UKZN Centre for Civil Society is inviting you to a
Zoom Session of the CCS Webinar Series
Please note changing times to accommodate speakers
from international time zones
Webinar: Thinking
Beyond the Resource Curse? Oil, Globalized Assemblages and Development in Ghana
Speaker:
Nathan Andrews
Date
& Time: Wednesday
4 August 2021, 16:00-17:00 SA Time
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://ukzn.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwoceqvqD0tHtFJ74NZfsHqxCvMbcBaofeT
After registering, you will receive a confirmation
email containing information about joining the meeting.
Topic
The resource curse thesis has become a focal point
around which scholars and practitioners interested in the nexus between natural
resources and development organize. Yet, the prominence of the idea tends to
obscure other equally important factors that underline the broader political
economy of resource extraction. Drawing upon field research and the theoretical
frameworks of actor network theory and assemblage thinking, this presentation points to an assemblage of
political, economic, social and environmental networks, processes, actions,
actors and structures of power that coalesce to determine the extent to which
the country’s hydrocarbon resources could be regarded as a ‘curse’ or
‘blessing’. This framing facilitates a better understanding of the variety (and
duality) of local and global forces and power structures at play in Ghana’s
growing hydrocarbon industry, which is contrary to the prevalent mainstream
scholarship on the resource curse. The point is that how we define the ‘curse’
has implications for the sort of dimensions researchers and policy makers pay
attention to, especially the kinds of policy interventions that emerge from
such narratives.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Nathan
Andrews is an Associate Professor of Global and International Studies at the
University of Northern British Columbia where he recently received the
prestigious University Excellence in Research Award (May 2019).
His research focuses on the international political economy of resource
extraction and global development but he is also interested in critical
questions around epistemic oppression, academic dependency and decolonization
in higher education. His work on these themes is covered in over 30
peer-reviewed articles published in leading journals such as International
Affairs, World Development, Energy Research & Social Science,
Third World Quarterly, Resources Policy, Commonwealth &
Comparative Politics and Africa Today among others. Dr. Andrews has
also published seven books (both edited volumes and monographs) and over 15
book chapters. His latest books include Gold Mining
and the Discourses of Corporate Social Responsibility in Ghana (Palgrave
Macmillan, 2019), Corporate Social Responsibility and Canada’s Role in
Africa’s Extractive Sectors (University of Toronto Press, 2020) and The
Transnational Land Rush in Africa: A Decade After the Spike (Palgrave
Macmillan, 2021). As part of his public intellectualism, he has contribution to
discussions on CBC Radio, Global News and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
as well as many community-based initiatives. Dr. Andrews is currently a
Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow at UKZN’s School of Built Environment and
Development Studies.
