Fighting Global Neo-Extractivism

Jasper Finkeldey is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer in Political Science in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. His interdisciplinary research focuses on environmental politics, social movements, political economy, and conflicts over resources.

'Social movements to contest the expansion of fossil fuel frontiers provide a vital line of defence in the struggle against runaway climate change. In this book, Jasper Finkeldey expertly combines theoretical insights about the power of fossil fuel industries with new empirical research on the way in which movements to contest coal mining and fracking in South Africa are resisting fossil fuel hegemony. The book will be of great interest to scholars and activists alike.' - Peter Newell, University of Sussex, UK'South Africa has gained notice on the international stage for its commitments to slow the pace of climate change. As Jasper Finkeldey demonstrates in his important new book, however, the country is dominated by powerful energy interests with every intention of boosting South Africa's fossil fuel production - at whatever risk to the planet, the local environment, and the populations living nearby. Vigorous grassroots organizations have sprung up to resist this onslaught, the book shows, but they have been overpowered by the "minerals-energy complex". His new book, Fighting Global Neo-Extractivism, is essential reading for those seeking an up-to-date account of grassroots efforts to fight the expansion of fossil fuel production.' -Michael Klare, Hampshire College,USA'Hundreds of locally-based social movements against fossil fuel extraction are learning, from their own experience and from each other; ways are being found to knit them together globally. The concept of environmental justice is central to these processes, Jasper Finkeldey concludes from his extensive research, which includes details studies of movements resisting coal mining and fracking projects in South Africa. This study will be of value both to researchers and activists.' - Simon Pirani, author of Burning Up: A Global History of Fossil Fuel Consumption, Honorary Professor at the University of Durham, UK

• 1. Introduction, Part I. Theory and practice of resource extractivism, 2. Resource frontiers and hegemony, 3. Fossil fuel dependency in South Africa, Part II. Social movements fighting fossil fuels, 4. Counter-hegemonic social movements, 5. Leadership and framing in Fuleni’s anti-coal movement, 6. Movement tactics for a frack free South Africa, 7. Fighting fossil fuels around the world