Matthias Kowasch | Pädagogische Hochschule Steiermark (original) (raw)

Papers by Matthias Kowasch

Journal of Political Ecology, 2020

In the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, conflict and difference between Indigenous Kana... more In the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, conflict and difference between Indigenous Kanak people and European settlers has existed at least since the 1850s. We interrogate the geopolitical ecology of these islands, which is deeply wedded to natural resource extraction, and is instrumentalized in political debate, power struggles, conflict, and the mining sector. Territoriality, including changes to political borders and access to land, has promoted the interests of the key actors in shaping the future of the islands. Violence in the 1980s was followed by the Matignon Accords (1988) and three provinces were established (North, South, Loyalty Islands). The South Province is governed by a party loyal to France, and the others are in the hands of the Indigenous Kanak independence movement seeking full decolonization and independence. The strengthened regional autonomy that emerged from the creation of provinces has permitted the Kanak-dominated ones to control certain political competencies as well as to guide economic development much more strongly than in other settler states, notably through a large nickel mining project in the North Province. Provincialization has not diminished ethnic divisions as French interests hoped, as signaled by voting in the close-run but unsuccessful 2018 referendum on independence from France. We explore the ironies of these efforts at territorial reordering , which are layered on significant spatial and racial disparities. Re-bordering has enabled resurgence of Kanak power in ways unanticipated by the architects of the Accords, but without a guarantee of eventual success.

L’exploitation minière induit des activités économiques qui sont pour partie prises en charge par... more L’exploitation minière induit des activités économiques qui sont pour partie prises en charge par des acteurs locaux. En Nouvelle-Calédonie, cette opportunité a étésaisie depuis une trentaine d’années par les populations kanak qui ont développé un tissu d’entreprises mobilisant des formules institutionnelles variées autour des sites industriels et miniers. L’analyse des trajectoires des entrepreneurs et des entreprises de sous-traitance minière sur des sites de profondeur historique et d’ampleur différentes contribue àune meilleure compréhension des modes localisés de circulation de la rente minière. La question de la place variable de la sous-traitance à l’interface entre l’entreprise minère et la société locale interroge, du point de vue des opérateurs miniers tout comme de celui des sous-traitants, la gestion de la tension entre rentabilité économique et redistribution sociale. L’analyse des trajectoires entrepreneuriales individuelles et collectives permet de cerner le caractère « pluri-acteurs » des entreprises de sous-traitance et donc la dimension familiale, l’insertion dans des relations de parenté et d’alliance, des réseaux claniques, le positionnement par rapport à la chefferie, les affiliations politiques et l’articulation entre trajectoire salariale et entrepreneuriale. La compréhension des logiques d’échanges qui accompagnent le fonctionnement des entreprises (et pas seulement en termes de redistribution sociale « post-activité économique ») est essentielle pour cerner le contexte social dans lequel s’insère l’activité de sous-traitance. Les phénomènes de dons, d’entraide, de contributions en travail, de transactions non marchandes ont donc été analysés en contrepoint de processus d’accumulation également à l’œuvre. Il faudra aussi analyser
les stratégies foncières et les jeux d'influence entre clans dans lesquelles s’inscrivent les créations d’entreprise. Il s’agit donc bien de voir comment s’articulent accumulation (économique, sociale, politique) et redistribution dans le cadre même des entreprises de sous-traitance (dans leurs différents domaines d’intervention : roulage, chantier, transbordement, environnement, sécurité, etc.) mais aussi d’approcher le fonctionnement « socio-économique » concret de ce secteur. A côté de l’enchâssement sociopolitique local des entreprises de sous-traitance minière, il s’agit de questionner le thème des frontières de l’entreprise et donc du degré d’autonomie des sous-traitants par rapport à l’opérateur minier pour lequel ils travaillent.

Environmental Education Research, 2019

The expert-driven and normative character of sustainability education aims to promote societal tr... more The expert-driven and normative character of sustainability education aims to promote societal transformation and global change. While some authors underline the ethical claims of education, others have criticized that there is a problematic tendency to prescribe certain actions beyond ethical education. The article aims to provide an empirical contribution, including students’ and teachers’ perspectives, and geography textbooks, to the debate. Based on the results of an empirical study with 1001 secondary school students in Austria and Germany, we discuss the “ethical turn” and the moral code in sustainability education. The questionnaires are completed with students’ drawings, qualitative interviews with geography teachers and an analysis of geography textbooks. We argue that most students have a precise idea what sustainability and sustainable behavior means, but they harbor right-wrong binary perceptions of sustainable lifestyles. Many students lack knowledge of the interdependence of consumption and production networks, which impedes the understanding of complex sustainability patterns. Therefore, we recommend pluralistic and interconnected perspectives in sustainability, in the frame of school geography. A more democratic classroom contributes to develop an own moral compass. Additionally, passion and participatory approaches can help students reflect on their affective relationships with consumer goods and consider alternative consumption-production paradigms.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration 194 , 2018

Mining is associated with unsustainable development pathways and frequently, local communities ar... more Mining is associated with unsustainable development pathways and frequently, local communities are affected by environmental degradation and social upheavals. In many developing countries, its macroeconomic effects are negative and promote conflict. At the same time, the resource sector is an engine of economic growth.
The Koniambo nickel project in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia is unusual compared to other large-scale projects worldwide. Kanak independence aspirations resulted in the Koniambo project, as an ‘in- strument’ for their economic and political emancipation from France.
The mining operator KNS, a joint venture of the local, Kanak dominated SMSP and the Swiss group Glencore, is taking measures to reduce environmental impacts, privileging local employment and supporting ethical business practices. I examine the success of KNS operations through its sustainable development report and based on several years of fieldwork in and around the site. I discover a mixed picture. Alternative economic practices of benefit to the Kanak population are less than successful, and social disparities within indigenous communities are widening. Customary land is being commodified and developed, driven by neoliberal goals. Like other large-scale mining companies in New Caledonia, KNS profits from tax exemptions. To contribute to a true sustainable development with less ‘green-washing’, Koniambo needs to provide solidarity-based criteria for subcontracting, and pay appropriate taxes to the New Caledonian administration. The political authorities need to establish a wealth fund for future generations and should initiate economic diversification before dividends from the nickel sector fill its coffers.

GW-Unterricht, 2018

Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Mehrdimensionalität von Konsumhandlungen am Beis... more Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Mehrdimensionalität von Konsumhandlungen am Beispiel des Smartpho-nes. Der Unterrichtsvorschlag beinhaltet eine pantomimische Darstellung unterschiedlicher Dimensionen der Nutzung bzw. des Konsums von Smartphones vom Produktionsnetzwerk über den Kaufakt bis hin zum Handy als Statussymbol. Ziel ist es, Schüler/innen Konsum als komplexen Bereich sozialer Beziehungen und Diskurse deutlich zu machen. Schüler/innen sollen – ohne Moralisierung – ihr eigenes Konsumverhalten kritisch refl ektieren und eigene Ideen entwickeln können. Damit trägt das Unterrichtsbeispiel zum Perspektivenwechsel bei Schüler/innen und zum emanzipatorischen Ansatz einer Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung bei. Deconstruction of classical concept of consumerism – a teaching proposal Th e present paper deals with the multidimensionality of consumer behavior, through the example of smartphones. We propose a teaching method that includes a pantomimic performance of diff erent dimensions of the use or consumption of smartphones, for example, from the production network to the site of purchase to its role as a status symbol. Th e aim is to make clear to students that consumption is a complex fi eld of social relationships and discourses. Students should be able to refl ect – without moralization – their own consumption patterns and should develop their own ideas. Th us, the teaching example contributes to a change of perspective among students and to the emancipatory approach of education for sustainable development.

RIGEO, 2017

This paper discusses the representation of resource exploitation and consumption in German geogra... more This paper discusses the representation of resource exploitation and consumption in German geography textbooks. The aim of the paper is to contribute to a critical and reflective understanding of the representation of resource-related issues in textbooks by analyzing two scientific debates (resource curse and actor analysis). The paper shows that all studied geography textbooks contribute to a certain degree to awareness raising in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), but references to the everyday life of students are rare. There are only few action-orientated tasks in the frame of resource exploitation and consumption in the studied textbooks. As real-world examples help develop students’ critical thinking skills and shape their ideas of sustainable development, these aspects reflect a pedagogical shortcoming.

Pacific Geographies, 2016

The French overseas territory of New Caledonia, called " Kanaky " by the indigenous Kanak people ... more The French overseas territory of New Caledonia, called " Kanaky " by the indigenous Kanak people who represent around 40% of the total population, is preparing a referendum to be held on the question of political independence from France. The context is the Noumea Accord of 1998, which provides not only the transfer of political competences from France to New Caledonia (except defence, foreign affairs, law and order, currency and justice), but stipulated that a referendum on independence should be held between 2014 and 2018. This article discusses questions of belonging and identity raised by the possibility of eventual sovereignty. After a historical review of struggles for independence, we offer four different scenarios for the future of the country and some observations on its future prospects.

Settler Colonial Studies, 2015

Property relations are often ambiguous in postcolonial settings. Property is only considered as s... more Property relations are often ambiguous in postcolonial settings. Property is only considered as such if socially legitimate institutions sanction it. In indigenous communities, access to natural resources is frequently multidimensional and overlapping, subject to conflict and negotiation in a 'social arena'. Settler arrivals and new economic possibilities challenge these norms and extend the arena. The article analyses conflicts and negotiations in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia in the light of its unique settler history and economic activity, focussing on the little-studied remote northern district of Poum on the Caledonian main island Grande Terre. In this region the descendants of British fishermen intermarried with the majority Kanak clans. We illustrate the interaction between customary conflicts, European settlement, struggles for independence, and a desire for economic development. Customary claims are in tension with the attractions of economic growth and service delivery, which has been slow in coming to Poum for reasons largely outside the control of local people.

Settler Colonial Studies, 2015

Property relations are often ambiguous in postcolonial settings. Property is only considered as s... more Property relations are often ambiguous in postcolonial settings. Property is only considered as such if socially legitimate institutions sanction it. In indigenous communities, access to natural resources is frequently multidimensional and overlapping, subject to conflict and negotiation in a 'social arena'. Settler arrivals and new economic possibilities challenge these norms and extend the arena. The article analyses conflicts and negotiations in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia in the light of its unique settler history and economic activity, focussing on the little-studied remote northern district of Poum on the Caledonian main island Grande Terre. In this region the descendants of British fishermen intermarried with the majority Kanak clans. We illustrate the interaction between customary conflicts, European settlement, struggles for independence, and a desire for economic development. Customary claims are in tension with the attractions of economic growth and service delivery, which has been slow in coming to Poum for reasons largely outside the control of local people.

En rassemblant, le 26 mars 2009, huit doctorants dont les études se portent sur l'espace rural, l... more En rassemblant, le 26 mars 2009, huit doctorants dont les études se portent sur l'espace rural, la commission française de géographie rurale s'est offert une occasion de réfléchir sur les postures adoptées par la jeune génération des géographes ruralistes, dans un contexte actuel qui remet régulièrement en cause les spécificités des espaces ruraux et la légitimité de la branche disciplinaire qui leur est consacrée. A l'heure où le monde paysan est révolu, où la société contemporaine est largement alignée sur des modes de travail et de consommation urbains, la géographie humaine peut-elle encore accorder une attention spécifique aux espaces ruraux ?

Journal of Political Ecology, 2020

In the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, conflict and difference between Indigenous Kana... more In the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, conflict and difference between Indigenous Kanak people and European settlers has existed at least since the 1850s. We interrogate the geopolitical ecology of these islands, which is deeply wedded to natural resource extraction, and is instrumentalized in political debate, power struggles, conflict, and the mining sector. Territoriality, including changes to political borders and access to land, has promoted the interests of the key actors in shaping the future of the islands. Violence in the 1980s was followed by the Matignon Accords (1988) and three provinces were established (North, South, Loyalty Islands). The South Province is governed by a party loyal to France, and the others are in the hands of the Indigenous Kanak independence movement seeking full decolonization and independence. The strengthened regional autonomy that emerged from the creation of provinces has permitted the Kanak-dominated ones to control certain political competencies as well as to guide economic development much more strongly than in other settler states, notably through a large nickel mining project in the North Province. Provincialization has not diminished ethnic divisions as French interests hoped, as signaled by voting in the close-run but unsuccessful 2018 referendum on independence from France. We explore the ironies of these efforts at territorial reordering , which are layered on significant spatial and racial disparities. Re-bordering has enabled resurgence of Kanak power in ways unanticipated by the architects of the Accords, but without a guarantee of eventual success.

L’exploitation minière induit des activités économiques qui sont pour partie prises en charge par... more L’exploitation minière induit des activités économiques qui sont pour partie prises en charge par des acteurs locaux. En Nouvelle-Calédonie, cette opportunité a étésaisie depuis une trentaine d’années par les populations kanak qui ont développé un tissu d’entreprises mobilisant des formules institutionnelles variées autour des sites industriels et miniers. L’analyse des trajectoires des entrepreneurs et des entreprises de sous-traitance minière sur des sites de profondeur historique et d’ampleur différentes contribue àune meilleure compréhension des modes localisés de circulation de la rente minière. La question de la place variable de la sous-traitance à l’interface entre l’entreprise minère et la société locale interroge, du point de vue des opérateurs miniers tout comme de celui des sous-traitants, la gestion de la tension entre rentabilité économique et redistribution sociale. L’analyse des trajectoires entrepreneuriales individuelles et collectives permet de cerner le caractère « pluri-acteurs » des entreprises de sous-traitance et donc la dimension familiale, l’insertion dans des relations de parenté et d’alliance, des réseaux claniques, le positionnement par rapport à la chefferie, les affiliations politiques et l’articulation entre trajectoire salariale et entrepreneuriale. La compréhension des logiques d’échanges qui accompagnent le fonctionnement des entreprises (et pas seulement en termes de redistribution sociale « post-activité économique ») est essentielle pour cerner le contexte social dans lequel s’insère l’activité de sous-traitance. Les phénomènes de dons, d’entraide, de contributions en travail, de transactions non marchandes ont donc été analysés en contrepoint de processus d’accumulation également à l’œuvre. Il faudra aussi analyser
les stratégies foncières et les jeux d'influence entre clans dans lesquelles s’inscrivent les créations d’entreprise. Il s’agit donc bien de voir comment s’articulent accumulation (économique, sociale, politique) et redistribution dans le cadre même des entreprises de sous-traitance (dans leurs différents domaines d’intervention : roulage, chantier, transbordement, environnement, sécurité, etc.) mais aussi d’approcher le fonctionnement « socio-économique » concret de ce secteur. A côté de l’enchâssement sociopolitique local des entreprises de sous-traitance minière, il s’agit de questionner le thème des frontières de l’entreprise et donc du degré d’autonomie des sous-traitants par rapport à l’opérateur minier pour lequel ils travaillent.

Environmental Education Research, 2019

The expert-driven and normative character of sustainability education aims to promote societal tr... more The expert-driven and normative character of sustainability education aims to promote societal transformation and global change. While some authors underline the ethical claims of education, others have criticized that there is a problematic tendency to prescribe certain actions beyond ethical education. The article aims to provide an empirical contribution, including students’ and teachers’ perspectives, and geography textbooks, to the debate. Based on the results of an empirical study with 1001 secondary school students in Austria and Germany, we discuss the “ethical turn” and the moral code in sustainability education. The questionnaires are completed with students’ drawings, qualitative interviews with geography teachers and an analysis of geography textbooks. We argue that most students have a precise idea what sustainability and sustainable behavior means, but they harbor right-wrong binary perceptions of sustainable lifestyles. Many students lack knowledge of the interdependence of consumption and production networks, which impedes the understanding of complex sustainability patterns. Therefore, we recommend pluralistic and interconnected perspectives in sustainability, in the frame of school geography. A more democratic classroom contributes to develop an own moral compass. Additionally, passion and participatory approaches can help students reflect on their affective relationships with consumer goods and consider alternative consumption-production paradigms.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration 194 , 2018

Mining is associated with unsustainable development pathways and frequently, local communities ar... more Mining is associated with unsustainable development pathways and frequently, local communities are affected by environmental degradation and social upheavals. In many developing countries, its macroeconomic effects are negative and promote conflict. At the same time, the resource sector is an engine of economic growth.
The Koniambo nickel project in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia is unusual compared to other large-scale projects worldwide. Kanak independence aspirations resulted in the Koniambo project, as an ‘in- strument’ for their economic and political emancipation from France.
The mining operator KNS, a joint venture of the local, Kanak dominated SMSP and the Swiss group Glencore, is taking measures to reduce environmental impacts, privileging local employment and supporting ethical business practices. I examine the success of KNS operations through its sustainable development report and based on several years of fieldwork in and around the site. I discover a mixed picture. Alternative economic practices of benefit to the Kanak population are less than successful, and social disparities within indigenous communities are widening. Customary land is being commodified and developed, driven by neoliberal goals. Like other large-scale mining companies in New Caledonia, KNS profits from tax exemptions. To contribute to a true sustainable development with less ‘green-washing’, Koniambo needs to provide solidarity-based criteria for subcontracting, and pay appropriate taxes to the New Caledonian administration. The political authorities need to establish a wealth fund for future generations and should initiate economic diversification before dividends from the nickel sector fill its coffers.

GW-Unterricht, 2018

Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Mehrdimensionalität von Konsumhandlungen am Beis... more Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Mehrdimensionalität von Konsumhandlungen am Beispiel des Smartpho-nes. Der Unterrichtsvorschlag beinhaltet eine pantomimische Darstellung unterschiedlicher Dimensionen der Nutzung bzw. des Konsums von Smartphones vom Produktionsnetzwerk über den Kaufakt bis hin zum Handy als Statussymbol. Ziel ist es, Schüler/innen Konsum als komplexen Bereich sozialer Beziehungen und Diskurse deutlich zu machen. Schüler/innen sollen – ohne Moralisierung – ihr eigenes Konsumverhalten kritisch refl ektieren und eigene Ideen entwickeln können. Damit trägt das Unterrichtsbeispiel zum Perspektivenwechsel bei Schüler/innen und zum emanzipatorischen Ansatz einer Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung bei. Deconstruction of classical concept of consumerism – a teaching proposal Th e present paper deals with the multidimensionality of consumer behavior, through the example of smartphones. We propose a teaching method that includes a pantomimic performance of diff erent dimensions of the use or consumption of smartphones, for example, from the production network to the site of purchase to its role as a status symbol. Th e aim is to make clear to students that consumption is a complex fi eld of social relationships and discourses. Students should be able to refl ect – without moralization – their own consumption patterns and should develop their own ideas. Th us, the teaching example contributes to a change of perspective among students and to the emancipatory approach of education for sustainable development.

RIGEO, 2017

This paper discusses the representation of resource exploitation and consumption in German geogra... more This paper discusses the representation of resource exploitation and consumption in German geography textbooks. The aim of the paper is to contribute to a critical and reflective understanding of the representation of resource-related issues in textbooks by analyzing two scientific debates (resource curse and actor analysis). The paper shows that all studied geography textbooks contribute to a certain degree to awareness raising in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), but references to the everyday life of students are rare. There are only few action-orientated tasks in the frame of resource exploitation and consumption in the studied textbooks. As real-world examples help develop students’ critical thinking skills and shape their ideas of sustainable development, these aspects reflect a pedagogical shortcoming.

Pacific Geographies, 2016

The French overseas territory of New Caledonia, called " Kanaky " by the indigenous Kanak people ... more The French overseas territory of New Caledonia, called " Kanaky " by the indigenous Kanak people who represent around 40% of the total population, is preparing a referendum to be held on the question of political independence from France. The context is the Noumea Accord of 1998, which provides not only the transfer of political competences from France to New Caledonia (except defence, foreign affairs, law and order, currency and justice), but stipulated that a referendum on independence should be held between 2014 and 2018. This article discusses questions of belonging and identity raised by the possibility of eventual sovereignty. After a historical review of struggles for independence, we offer four different scenarios for the future of the country and some observations on its future prospects.

Settler Colonial Studies, 2015

Property relations are often ambiguous in postcolonial settings. Property is only considered as s... more Property relations are often ambiguous in postcolonial settings. Property is only considered as such if socially legitimate institutions sanction it. In indigenous communities, access to natural resources is frequently multidimensional and overlapping, subject to conflict and negotiation in a 'social arena'. Settler arrivals and new economic possibilities challenge these norms and extend the arena. The article analyses conflicts and negotiations in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia in the light of its unique settler history and economic activity, focussing on the little-studied remote northern district of Poum on the Caledonian main island Grande Terre. In this region the descendants of British fishermen intermarried with the majority Kanak clans. We illustrate the interaction between customary conflicts, European settlement, struggles for independence, and a desire for economic development. Customary claims are in tension with the attractions of economic growth and service delivery, which has been slow in coming to Poum for reasons largely outside the control of local people.

Settler Colonial Studies, 2015

Property relations are often ambiguous in postcolonial settings. Property is only considered as s... more Property relations are often ambiguous in postcolonial settings. Property is only considered as such if socially legitimate institutions sanction it. In indigenous communities, access to natural resources is frequently multidimensional and overlapping, subject to conflict and negotiation in a 'social arena'. Settler arrivals and new economic possibilities challenge these norms and extend the arena. The article analyses conflicts and negotiations in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia in the light of its unique settler history and economic activity, focussing on the little-studied remote northern district of Poum on the Caledonian main island Grande Terre. In this region the descendants of British fishermen intermarried with the majority Kanak clans. We illustrate the interaction between customary conflicts, European settlement, struggles for independence, and a desire for economic development. Customary claims are in tension with the attractions of economic growth and service delivery, which has been slow in coming to Poum for reasons largely outside the control of local people.

En rassemblant, le 26 mars 2009, huit doctorants dont les études se portent sur l'espace rural, l... more En rassemblant, le 26 mars 2009, huit doctorants dont les études se portent sur l'espace rural, la commission française de géographie rurale s'est offert une occasion de réfléchir sur les postures adoptées par la jeune génération des géographes ruralistes, dans un contexte actuel qui remet régulièrement en cause les spécificités des espaces ruraux et la légitimité de la branche disciplinaire qui leur est consacrée. A l'heure où le monde paysan est révolu, où la société contemporaine est largement alignée sur des modes de travail et de consommation urbains, la géographie humaine peut-elle encore accorder une attention spécifique aux espaces ruraux ?

Nicht nur rohstoffreiche Entwicklungsländer leiden unter dem sogenannten Rohstofffluch. Auch in A... more Nicht nur rohstoffreiche Entwicklungsländer leiden unter dem sogenannten Rohstofffluch. Auch in Australien oder Neukaledonien sind Teile der lokalen Bevölkerung von der wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung ausgegrenzt. Während der Bergbau boomt und neue Rekordeinnahmen verzeichnet, partizipieren insbesondere indigene Bevölkerungsgruppen nur marginal an der Entwicklung der Rohstoffbranche.

staatliche Entwicklungshelfer, Vertreter von Nichtregierungsorganisationen und engagierte Journal... more staatliche Entwicklungshelfer, Vertreter von Nichtregierungsorganisationen und engagierte Journalisten gehen jedes Jahr im Rahmen von Feldforschungen in postkoloniale Gesellschaften, wo sie Kulturgut, Rohstoffvorkommen, Meinungen und Ideen aufzeichnen und später gegen Geld und Prestige eintauschen. Auf der einen Seite wird das soziale und politische Engagement der Feldforscher gelobt, auf der anderen Seite kritisieren die Gesellschaften eine Entwendung geistigen Eigentums.

In indigenous communities, social identity is linked to the land of ancestors. Access to land and... more In indigenous communities, social identity is linked to the land of ancestors. Access to land and natural resources is frequently multidimensional and overlapping, and subject to conflict and negotiation. In postcolonial settings, property relations are often ambiguous. Property is only property if socially legitimate institutions sanction it (Sikor and Lund, 2009). The present paper will discuss space construction, land conflicts and negotiations in the postcolonial setting of the French overseas territory New Caledonia.