Metals in Action – Entanglements of environment, society and industry
Metals in Action – Entanglements of environment, society, and industry (MiA) is a research project exploring how sustainability and environmental impact have been historically managed within the field of mining history. As part of the project, Jernkontoret collaborates with several Swedish universities and museums.
Ore washing at the Johannesberg Mine in Norberg, circa 1910. Photographer unknown (the image is cropped). Source: Jernkontoret's picture collection.
The research project Metals in Action – Entanglements of environment, society and industry (MiA) was launched in 2024. The MiA project was initiated by the research committee Sustainability and Environmental Impact from a Historical Perspective – Metall Production, Mining, and Steel Industry (90063/20), a committee within Jernkontoret’s Historical Metallurgy Group.
Within the framework of the MiA project, Jernkontoret collaborates with several universities and museums (see below) to explore how sustainability and environmental impact have been historically managed within the field of mining history.
Two major workshops have been held. The first, organised and funded by Jernkontoret, involved a national network of researchers. The second, funded by the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond), brought together an international research group and took place in late April 2024.
In the MiA project, the committee Sustainability and Environmental Impact from a Historical Perspective – Metall Production, Mining, and Steel Industry acts as a unifying link. The Historical Metallurgy Group also serves as a reference group addressing both the programme’s historical aspects and its connections to contemporary efforts in environmental and developmental work.
- MiA investigates how the metal industry, society, and the environment has been entangled in complex processes from prehistory to modern times. What effects has the metal industry had on the environment and society? What strategies did people develop to manage the consequences and opportunities?
- MiA represents a reorientation of research on the history of the mining and metal industries, shifting the focus from research on innovations and development to the industries' effects on the environment and society.
- MiA brings together different academic disciplines from the humanities and natural sciences. Together, these generate new perspectives and knowledge about historical processes. Through innovative communication methods, the results contribute to today's metal industry's green transition and sustainability efforts.
Project Participants:
Eva Svensson, Karlstad University, Project Manager
Roine Viklund, Luleå University of Technology, Deputy Project Manager
Richard Bindler, Umeå University
Catarina Karlsson, Jernkontoret
Andreas Hennius, Uppsala University and Uppland Museum
Carina Bennerhag, Luleå University of Technology and Norrbotten Museum
Jonas Monié Nordin, Stockholm University
Dag Avango, Luleå University of Technology
