A detailed exploration of the bauxite mining controversy that erupted in Vietnam in early 2009 and its long-lasting influence on some of the most heated public debates that followed, Jason Morris-Jung’s Unearthing Politics provides an indispensable guide to contemporary environmental politics in Vietnam. Bauxite, the principal ore of aluminum, had been discovered in large quantities in the Central Highlands, and government plans were in the works to excavate some 5.4 billion tons of the valuable material for export and processing to help spur the country’s ongoing industrial development. In response, concerned citizens, led by scientists and intellectuals—including such high-profile public figures as General Võ Nguyên Giáp—expressed outrage over the expected consequences for this socially and ecologically sensitive region. Critics were especially concerned about the involvement of a Chinese state-owned company, reflecting deep-seated anxieties about territorial sovereignty. In the process, Morris-Jung deftly shows, the multifaceted public grievance that cohered around the...

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