Il paradiso perduto. Comunità locali, sfruttamento, resistenza e disastro ambientale a Bougainville

The present work – based on interdisciplinary scholarship – examines a set of factors underlying the civil war (1988-1998) on the island of Bougainville, an autonomous region of PNG (Papua New Guinea). Adopting a historical-anthropological lens and starting from the effects of colonization and the mining industry, the research investigates the disruptive effects of capitalist exploitation on traditional Melanesian and Bougainville societies, as well as the outbreak of the conflict. Moreover, the article deals with some aspects of the resistance by the BRA (Bougainville Revolutionary Army) «eco-rebels», the struggle for the land, the redistributive claims of indigenous groups over mining industry’s profits and the complaints about the environmental disaster caused by the activities at Panguna copper mine. Finally, recent events and the political situation in Bougainville are taken into account in order to predict future developments following the 2019 referendum on independence. This study focuses on local communities, i.e. subaltern groups fighting against powerful national and international, political and economic actors.