Unearthing the power of religion in mining conflicts

The global rush for minerals often overlooks religious authority, which is a hidden force shaping local resistance and corporate power. The ERC-funded RAIDS project aims to explore how religion serves as a potent ‘weapon’ for both marginalised communities and powerful extractive interests. It will analyse eight diverse mining disputes across Brazil, India, Indonesia, and the US, and use a decolonial-feminist approach to centre the voices of those on the front lines. With regard to climate catastrophe and the post-carbon transition, the project will offer new insights into how spiritual narratives influence land and labour justice. The findings will help scholars and activists navigate the systemic inequalities related to mineral extraction today.

RAIDS (Religious Authority in Extractive Industry Struggles) will be carried out over five years, commencing in September 2026, led by Claire Blencowe. Other members of the team include a project administrator, a project producer and four post-doctoral equivalent research fellows.

Each of the four research fellows will be employed for two years to conduct research on religion in extractive industry struggles in one of the specified countries. We are looking for engaged activist-scholars who are able to work closely and respectfully with mine-affected communities, participating with and supporting the community's existing activism. Applicants to these roles will be invited to propose their own case studies, drawing upon their existing connections or affinities with mine-affected communities. We will work together as a team to finalise the case study design and carry out the research encompassing: critical cultural/authority studies investigation of the 'soft' power backing contemporary mining corporations; participatory research with mine affected communities exploring the ways that they can and do engage religious or spiritual practice, organisation or wisdom in their struggles; and co-producing analysis and outputs with the mine-affected communities.

This work will be staged as follows:

Years 1&2: Two research fellows working on Brazil and the USA

Years 3&4: Two research fellows working on India and Indonesia

Year 5: PI finalising cross country analysis and outputs.

The project producer is a part time role for 3.5 years, supporting the PI and research fellows particularly in the co-production of outputs with communities. The producer will visit all of the case study communities during participatory theory workshops and will ensure that their stories and ideas are recorded and published in ways that do justice to these communities, contributing meaningfully to their struggles. The project administrator will provide high level support to the team on a part time basis throughout the project.

Together the team will ask What is the role of religious authority in contemporary extractive industry struggles, both in supporting the interests of extractive corporations, and in supporting marginalised local communities who confront those corporations?

To find answers we will:

Identify and analyse uses of religious authority in eight specific extractive industry struggles, including uses of religious authority by communities organising to oppose or mitigate damages inflicted by extractive industry corporations, and uses of religious authority to support the interests of mining corporations. Establish religious-authority and environmental-religious-racism as crucial factors within environmental humanities and social science of extractive industry struggles.

Investigate whether and how extractive industries and religious nationalist movements support each other today including how economic and affective attachments to extractive industries are cultivated through religious identities, values and practice. Consider how extractive-religious-authoritarian coalitions relate to the sovereignty and authority crises of contemporary nation states, including connections and parallels between these contemporary cases and the role of colonial Christianity in 19thC extractive industry expansion, including structuring of religious environmental racism, ‘civilising’ governmentality and education, and glorification of extractive industries.

Contribute to egalitarian and just decolonial-feminist scholarship amplifying marginalised voices in extractive industry struggles by attending to religious activism. Deploy a better understanding of the roles of religious authority in extractive industry struggles to build solidarity, resonance and justice amongst disparate activist communities; including sharing stories of success as well as critical exploration of the potential problems entailed in transnational religious solidarity and humanitarianism.

For updates on the project as we progress to launch, including adverts for positions on the team when they become available, sign up to the pre-launch mailing list or follow Claire on LinkedIn

.