Benefits, brokers and betrayal: Becoming a cultural broker in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

How processes entailed in accessing benefits are implemented in the early stages of a resource project shapes brokerage throughout the project's lifespan. Perceptions of the efficacy of these processes and of the individuals involved often vary. Where the desires of host communities are raised and then left unfulfilled by the process, the ensuing deep sense of loss and betrayal may give rise to the emergence of a new wave of brokers. This paper explores these dynamics in the context of the early phase of a resource project in Papua New Guinea (PNG), focusing on the Social Mapping and Landowner Identification Study (SMLIS) and Landowner Beneficiary Identification (LOBID): formal processes that precede the development of petroleum projects under PNG law. We document some of the responses of local community members within the project area towards the SMLIS and LOBID processes, and how that has shaped and influenced the rise of a new wave of brokers. The paper reflects, too, on the first author's own changing role as a broker in this scene, based on shifting demand for different types of brokerage.