New scholarship critiques CSR as a tool to neutralise dissent and manage regulatory threats

A new study by Jonathan Kishen Gamu, Violence in the Shadows, is challenging the prevailing academic and industrial consensus that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) serves as a vehicle for humane capitalism.

Violence in the Shadows book jacket featuring a graphic of a huge truck

In his latest book, published by Cornell University Press,  Jonathan Kishen Gamu argues that far from being a progressive catalyst for accountability, CSR functions as a sophisticated strategic mechanism used by the global mining industry to neutralise dissent and manage regulatory threats.

The research centers on Peru, currently one of the world’s most hazardous landscapes for grassroots anti-mining activists. Dr Gamu’s analysis reveals that in these high-stakes environments, CSR is not merely a failure of implementation but a calculated instrument of control. 

“Jonathan Kishen Gamu's book offers numerous insights into broader arguments about the relationship between resources and legitimate governance.” 
Deborah Avant, University of Denver