Corporatized Oikonomia: An Ethnography of a Coal Company's Complaints Office

This article develops the concept of corporatized oikonomia, a form of modern corporate governance aimed at securing consent and managing risks. It explores Glencore's Cerrejón coal mining operations in La Guajira, Colombia, and particularly its complaints office, a key element of its risk management. Through ethnographic investigation, the article demonstrates how this grievance mechanism, often praised by international institutions, serves less as a tool for solving immediate community issues and more as a mechanism for surveillance and control, and perpetuating ongoing bureaucratic processes. Contributing to political ecology and anthropology of corporate social responsibility, the research explores how corporate governance shapes political subjectivity among the local population, who are frequently left waiting for attention. The study reveals the complex interplay between corporate enclaving practices and socio-political trusteeship, supported by a corporate security apparatus. It argues that the friction between these forces creates a deeply ambivalent form of political subjectivity. The article emphasizes the company's balancing act between acting as a trustee and avoiding the role of a surrogate for the state, highlighting the nuanced dilemmas faced by both the corporation and local communities. The article concludes by emphasizing how these messy interactions shape subject formation and influence both corporate practices and community engagement.