Mining Connections: Mineral Modernity in the Arctic

The chapter discusses the over four-century-long history of the mining industry in the Finnish Arctic and how it contributed to the installation of colonial and capitalist logics in the region. The chapter also shows how the Arctic mining assemblage became entangled with the radial religious and political movements, which helps to explain why mining continues to be coded as a good job. The current debates about mining divide the local communities into pro- and anti-mine camps, resonating and echoing previous political frontlines, are also discussed.