With extensive experience in international projects, Rubinstein discusses the role of social and cultural variables in viability assessment, risk management, and the sustainability of mining projects throughout their life cycle.
By Panorama Minero
What Is the Scope of Anthropology in the Mining Industry?
Anthropology is a social science that brings us closer to human diversity and invites us to reflect on others and their life experiences. Within the mining industry, its contribution is fundamental to understanding and strengthening relationships with local people and communities.
The realities of the towns and localities located near mining projects are diverse and complex, requiring a sensitive perspective that promotes intercultural dialogue. In this regard, anthropology acts as a bridge between voices with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, facilitating mutual understanding and the construction of relationships based on respect.
In an Industry Characterized by Highly Complex Technical, Economic, and Financial Decisions, What Value Does the Social and Cultural Perspective Add to the Design and Development of Mining Projects?
Every technical decision is also cultural and social. Without the social perspective, we would not be able to operate.
Every technical decision is implemented in a specific territory inhabited by people, communities, and groups with their own histories, values, expectations, and ways of life. In this sense, no decision is neutral: every technical decision is also social and cultural because it impacts pre-existing social relationships, local forms of organization, and perceptions regarding development, the environment, and the future.
The social perspective makes it possible to understand how mining projects are interpreted, experienced, and valued by surrounding communities, while providing key tools to anticipate tensions, identify non-technical risks, and build engagement strategies based on dialogue and respect. Without this perspective, even technically sound projects may face conflicts, resistance, or operational difficulties that compromise their continuity.
Likewise, the diversity of sociocultural realities among the towns and localities surrounding mining projects requires approaches that are contextualized and sensitive to local conditions. There are no homogeneous communities or universal social responses. The social and cultural perspective avoids standardized solutions and promotes interventions adapted to local settings, recognizing local knowledge, memories, and territorial trajectories.
What Risks Arise When This Perspective Is Incorporated Too Late?
The loss of community trust can become highly risky for a mining project. This relationship is often summarized in the concept of a social license, a notion that is widely used but, in many cases, fails to reflect the dynamic, continuous, and relational nature of engagement with communities.
Community engagement is not an objective achieved once, nor a permit obtained permanently, but rather an ongoing process that must develop alongside the different stages of a project, from exploration through operation. The work carried out by social teams must go hand in hand with exploration activities. Working with communities means accompanying territorial processes, actively listening, and adapting to social and cultural contexts that are constantly evolving.
In this regard, it is essential to build strong intercultural agreements based on the recognition of the needs, local knowledge, and worldviews of the people who live in the territories where the mining industry operates. Only through this approach is it possible to build relationships of trust, legitimacy, and cooperation that are essential for the long-term sustainability of mining projects.
What Tensions Typically Arise Between Social Timelines and Productive Timelines?
The main tension lays in the fact that productive timelines respond to planning, investment, and the achievement of technical milestones, whereas social timelines are shaped by much slower and more complex processes, such as building trust, community deliberation, and collective decision-making. These are very different temporalities that do not always interact easily.
Have You Observed Progress in Recent Years Regarding Governance, Participation, and Social Dialogue?
Yes, without a doubt there has been progress, especially in terms of recognition. Today there is greater awareness, both within government and among companies, that governance, participation, and social dialogue are not secondary dimensions but rather central components of project management and long-term sustainability.
This is particularly evident in the institutionalization of dialogue spaces and in the incorporation of standards and regulatory frameworks that promote participation. It is increasingly common to discuss consultation, transparency, the early involvement of local stakeholders, and formal participation mechanisms.
Is Community Participation Still Viewed as a Formal Requirement, or Is It Evolving Toward a More Substantive Process?
Community participation is no longer viewed solely as a formal requirement and is clearly evolving into a more substantive process. This change is reflected in the growing incorporation of the voices of territorial stakeholders into the design of plans and programs, which are increasingly rooted in local needs. In this way, the traditional top-down planning approach, based on standardized models considered applicable to any context, is being replaced by more relevant and context-specific interventions.
This shift represents a key change in territorial intervention policies and practices. Meaningful community participation not only legitimizes decision-making processes but also becomes a fundamental element for working with local communities, as it strengthens ownership of initiatives, improves their effectiveness, and enhances the long-term sustainability of actions.
Which International Standards Have Had the Greatest Influence on the Transformation of the Sector's Social Practices?
With regard to international standards, the first and most important is ILO Convention 169, which Argentina ratified in 2001. It requires that any activity planned near territories inhabited by Indigenous communities must be subject to consultation. This changed the rules of the game, and other standards that further refine Indigenous participation have gradually been introduced and implemented. Our industry is regulated through local and international standards that are rooted in the Convention.
How Do the Requirements of Investors and International Markets Influence the Social Agenda of Mining Projects?
The requirements of investors and international markets have had a growing and significant impact on the social agenda of mining projects, contributing to a substantial transformation of planning, management, and implementation practices. In particular, the socio-environmental standards promoted by international financial institutions, development banks, investment funds, and ESG certifications have elevated the social dimension to a strategic rather than ancillary component of projects.
Within this framework, investors increasingly require compliance with criteria related to respect for human rights, the participation of local communities, the management of social impacts, and the protection of vulnerable populations, including Indigenous peoples. These requirements have driven the incorporation of tools such as social impact assessments, consultation and early dialogue processes, grievance mechanisms, and social management plans as prerequisites for access to financing.
What Specific Challenges Does the Rapid Growth of Projects in the Lithium Triangle Create?
This growth creates challenges that extend across social, territorial, institutional, and cultural dimensions. It is not only the scale of investment that matters, but also the gap between the pace of capital investment and social and community timelines. In other words, it requires balancing the needs of the industry with local needs.
What Key Message Would You Give to Those Designing Public Policies and Corporate Strategies Related to Mining?
It is essential to begin considering the social dimension with the same level of importance as the technical, economic, and environmental aspects of a project. Far from being a complementary component, the social dimension directly influences the viability, sustainability, and legitimacy of initiatives, particularly in complex territorial contexts. Integrating this dimension from the earliest stages of project design makes it possible to anticipate impacts, strengthen relationships with communities, and build stronger, more sustainable projects over the long term.
