Narratives of Extraction: Environmental Humanities, Oil and Mining, and the Politics of Sacrifice Zones

Mugisha Emmanuel K.

Faculty of Science and Technology Kampala International University Uganda

                                                                    ABSTRACT
This paper examines the cultural, political, and ecological dimensions of resource extraction through the lens of environmental humanities, focusing on oil and mining industries and their relationship to environmental sacrifice zones. It explores how extraction is not merely an economic activity but a socio-ecological and cultural process shaped by narratives, infrastructures, technologies, and power relations. Drawing on concepts from political ecology, extractivism, environmental justice, and critical geography, the study analyzes the ways in which extraction narratives construct value while simultaneously producing environmental degradation, social inequalities, and spatially concentrated harms. Through discussions of oil histories, mining landscapes, material imaginaries, vocal ecologies, and environmental injustices, the paper highlights the experiences of communities affected by extraction and the contestations surrounding sovereignty, risk, and resistance. The interdisciplinary framework combines ethnography, narrative analysis, archival research, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to reveal how knowledge, power, and environmental impacts intersect across extractive frontiers. By examining case studies from diverse regional contexts, the paper demonstrates how extraction generates enduring social and ecological legacies that extend beyond the life cycle of commodities. Ultimately, it argues for ethically responsible approaches that prioritize environmental justice, community voices, historical accountability, and reconciliation in addressing the unequal burdens and benefits of extractive industries.

Keywords: Environmental Humanities, Extractivism, Sacrifice Zones, Environmental Justice and Political Ecology.

CITE AS: Mugisha Emmanuel K. (2026). Narratives of Extraction: Environmental Humanities, Oil and Mining, and the Politics of Sacrifice Zones. NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES,6(1): 38-42.
https://doi.org/10.59298/NIJEP/2026/613842