SG – (Post-)Extractivism

About series ‘Decolonisation’

One way decolonial movements have addressed symbols of historical injustice is by toppling statues and changing street names. But what is decolonisation? Is (de)colonisation an event of the past, or are there colonial processes that continue until today? This series looks at a number of burning questions which touch upon the past and shine a light for the future.

About (Post-)Extractivism

What do we discover when we look at the extraction of mineral resources through the lens of decolonisation? Arpita Bisht, Post-Doctoral fellow at the ISS, will provide a critical and comprehensive overview of this, starting with a grain of sand. This tour will explore how extraction is shaped by ‘modernity’, the flipside of coloniality. From social and ecological impacts to political and economic dynamics, Bisht’s talk explores how sand extractivism affects the livelihoods of billions of people across the world. What does moving forward to a post-extractivist world mean?

About Arpita Bisht

Dr. Arpita Bisht is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the International Institute of Social Studies, The Hague. She was recently an Associate Researcher at the Albert Hirschman Center for Democracy at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. She received her PhD from TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, India, and then pursued a Marie Sklodowska Curie LeADing Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the ISS, The Hague. Her research focuses on ecological distribution conflicts and social resistance movements against extractivism and environmental injustices. She also explores degrowth, post-growth and other alternative economics in the context of the global South with a focus for India. She specializes in sand extractivism, environmental injustices, and resistance movements against sand extractivism across the world.