Introduction: Snapshots of Global Gold Mining

Abstract

This introductory chapter sets the stage by presenting a number of “snapshots” of gold mining practices across the globe. These snapshots illustrate both tremendous diversity (in terms of mining activities) and connectivity (in terms of linkages between these activities). Earlier research has failed to fully account for these empirical complexities, because it starts from dualist views that assume a rigid distinction between informal and subsistence-oriented artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) and formal and capital-intensive industrial gold mining. Instead, we identify the need for an analytical approach that pays more central attention to how all types of gold mining are functionally integrated into a global system of gold production.