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Ciaran O'Faircheallaigh is Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Brisbane. He is the author of A New Approach to Policy Evaluation: Mining and Indigenous People (Ashgate, 2002) and numerous monographs on indigenous people and resource development, negotiation, social impact assessment and public management. He has worked as a negotiator and advisor for many of Australia's leading Aboriginal organisations. Saleem H. Ali is associate professor of environmental planning at the University of Vermont and on the adjunct faculty of Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies. He is the author of Mining the Environment and Indigenous Development Conflicts (University of Arizona Press, 2004) and the editor of Peace Parks: Conservation and Conflict Resolution (MIT Press, 2007). Dr Ali has a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Tufts University, a master's in Environmental Studies from Yale University and a doctorate in environmental planning from MIT. Further details about his research can be found on www.uvm.edu/~shali.
This, when published, was a brave book. It tackles community issues which are uncomfortable for many companies because the resolution of the issues is neither clear-cut nor complete. The documentation of the issues is an important contribution to the on-going search for solutions. The book chronicles efforts and activities relating to indigenous peoples who are directly or indirectly affected by mining activities. There is more reference to experiences with aboriginal peoples in Australia than other areas of the World (which include indigenous peoples in Russia, Peru, Ecuador, Papua New Guinea and the Arctic). I was disappointed with the depth of material covering Africa, which has its own set of social and economic problems, as it reflects against women, artisanal miners and children.Having said that, the book is rich in detail and depth for the areas and grouping it does cover. The different papers make extensive reference to the available literature on their various subjects and they give clear and detailed perspectives. - Eagle Bulletin 20.1 (July 2010) | | I just came across a new volume edited by O'Faircheallaigh and Ali which focuses on an interesting, important, yet often ignored relationship between resource extraction and indigenous peoples. Understanding that the extractive industries are almost never led by indigenous peoples, these interactions are then global in nature, and span a history of conflict and unease. The volume editors were wise to engage the authorship of important thinkers of today, as the problematic explored reaches far and wide, and it must, then, be explored with different lenses. The book achieves a solid balance between theoretical insight and illustrative content, to a variety of audiences interested on this timely and critical topic. - Catalin Ratiu weblog, November 2008 | | It is rare and refreshing to find an academic book that focuses on a single issue in a particular sector ... most [chapters] have clear practical relevance, covering issues like stakeholder agreements, social impact assessment and engagement with indigenous women ... CSR academics focused on either the extractives sector, or indigenous people will find this an extremely useful collection. Even for CSR managers with responsibilities in these areas, there are insights and lessons to benefit from, if they hone in on the particular countries, sectors and issues that fit their responsibilities or tackle their most pressing challenges. I hope this book becomes the trailblazer for a new sector-based, issue-specific genre of presenting academic research. - Wayne Visser, Founder & CEO, CSR International
