Emma Gilberthorpe

I am an anthropologist with a specific focus on the social and cultural aspects of development. My research is concerned with how social organisation, kinship and exchange interact with large-scale industrial activity, particularly mining and oil extraction. I am particularly interested in the implications of the cultural incompatibilities that exist between large-scale, capitalist corporations and small-scale societies.

The majority of my work has focused on the social, economic, political and environmental impacts of mining (Ok Tedi) and oil extraction (Kutubu) in Papua New Guinea. I have also conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Guinea, West Africa and managed projects in Zambia.