The local politics of rural land use: Place, extraction industries and narratives of contemporary rurality

Abstract

This article contributes to discussions of place and social change in rural sociology with a focus on the local politics of rural land use. In particular, the article explores the way that one rural place is responding to changes in the local and regional economy connected with the arrival of extractive industries such as mining and coal seam gas (CSG). The article shows how attitudes towards extractive industries are formed through notions of place and community within broader narratives concerning rurality and global capitalism. The local politics of land use enrols complex and contradictory forms of place attachment into the articulation of competing narratives about rurality, and intervenes in the local social relationships of rural areas. The politics of extraction in rural Australia is therefore situated at the forefront of contemporary economic and cultural changes that are part of the reshaping of place amid the broader dynamics of contemporary global capitalism.

Mining voids: Extraction and emotion at the Australian coal frontier

“…Plumwood forwards a critique of the conventional idea of place as dwelling, where place is associated with belonging or ownership to a distinct environmental setting, singularising and individualising "place" into "my place" or "our place." Place, in such interpretations, become sites of attachment, with the concept of "place attachment" referring to the multi-dimensional bond between an individual and a place; place is perceived and lived through and within the everyday rhythms of practice and habitation, which form subjectivities and connections to local environments (Farrugia et al, 2019;Heidegger, 1975;Malpas, 1999). Reflecting the work of other geographers, such as Doreen Massey (2005), Plumwood (2008, np) contends, however, that places are not singular, self-sufficient atomic sites for recognition but rather sites created through "multiple, complex networks of places that supports our lives."…”

Unlikely Alliances in the Battle for Land and Water Security: Unconventional Gas and the Politics of Risk in NSW, Australia

“…The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is one of the largest underground water reservoirs in the world. Occupying more than 1.7 million square kilometres beneath the arid and semi-arid parts of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory, it is an essential fresh water source for many inland communities and ecosystems throughout the continent [31]. In Narrabri shire, water is considered a 'life-giving' force but it is also recognised as fragile and easily diminished through over-use, increased competition and the ongoing effects of climate change.…”

“…It is also considered an integral part of what Narrabri is, and so is strongly linked with issues around identity and place ( [6], pp. 107-108); [31].…”

“…On the other side, environmental groups and concerned others are anxious to promote sustainable development, to reduce the human footprint on nature, and to promote alternative and clean energy sources [6]. While traditionally, these values have been quite divergent, in the face of a common antagonist, a sense of collective identity has emerged underpinned by an evolved notion of stewardship, of caring for the land and conserving the environment for future generations [2,6,31]. Thus, an interplay between the informal and formal political spaces has emerged.…”

“…These campaigns garnered nationwide attention as environmentalists from across Australia joined local farmers and community groups to protest against what they perceived as an unsustainable and undesirable land use change. Consequently, Narrabri shire presented a unique lens through which to explore the intricacies and complexities that exist around land use change today [2,6,31].…”