This month we are honored to be joined by Georgia de Leeuw who is a post-doctoral researcher in Human Rights Studies at Lund University. Georgia’s research has focused on Swedish mining and steel transition, in which steel is produced with hydrogen instead of coal. We start the conversation talking about Swedish exceptionalism and what this means in relation to mining. This opens into a more general discussion of the colonial project and how it has played out in the Nordic context. Within the Nordic context, while colonialism did not often include crossing an ocean, there has still been intense colonial activity in the north and continuing violations of Indigenous rights. We then continue into discussing the role of techno optimism and how extractivism is framed by industry as a positive project, something that is required for development and survival. Georgia looks at advocates and resistance to mining and green steel through the lens of psychoanalysis. Join us for this amazing conversation!

Would you like to learn more about Georgia’s work? https://portal.research.lu.se/en/persons/georgia-de-leeuw

Artists and other resources mentioned in the show:

Reindeer herder and co-author of forthcoming article: Rickard Länta, leading figure in the Sami resistance against mining in Jåhkågasska reindeer herding community

Authors:

Elin Anna Labba, Ann-Helén Laestadius

Movies:

Stolen (2024) accessible on Neflix, based on the book by Ann-Helen Laestadius

Let the River Flow (2023)

Artists: Anders Sunna, Timimie Märak and Maxida Märak, Sofia Jannok