In the name of security: Governmentality apparatus in a multilingual mine in Arctic Finland

Maiju Strömmer
2021 Journal of Sociolinguistics  
This critical sociolinguistic study explores how mining work is governed in the name of security in a mine in Arctic Finland. Although the mining industry is dominated by multinational corporations, mines themselves tend to be concentrated in peripheries where a mobile and multilingual workforce is recruited. Mining is a high-risk business: industrial accidents and environmental damage can be severe. Discursive practices play a crucial role in risk management. In this study, the nexus of
more » ... e, security, and production in mining work is analyzed by applying the Foucauldian concept of 'governmentality'. The data comprise ethnographic observations, work-related documents, and interviews collected onsite in 2018-2019. The analysis illustrates how security and production are interwoven in the mine's safety program that applies the neoliberal logic of responsibilization and disciplinary strategies of surveillance, supervision and regulations. On a broader level, this governmentality apparatus serves the state in securitizing its economy and population. K E Y W O R D S apparatus, governmentality, mining, multilingualism, safety, security Abstrakti Tämä kriittinen sosiolingvistinen tutkimus tarkastelee, miten kaivostyötä hallitaan turvallisuuden nimissä monikielisessä kaivoksessa Pohjois-Suomessa. Vaikka kaivosteollisuutta This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
doi:10.1111/josl.12458 fatcat:a3sr4efvk5fgteghvnpkpows4q