The Absent Presence of the State in Large-Scale Resource Extraction Projects, ,

Year

2021

Publisher

ANU Press

Language

English

Pages

Link

Last Update

05-Feb-2026

Keywords

Public Policy & Administration ; sustainability-discipline ; Environmental Studies ; Agriculture ; Engineering

Description

n Samuel Beckett’s famous ‘tragicomedy in two acts’, the tragic tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, spend a good deal of time waiting for Godot and discussing their desire to see him. Godot never arrives, but he figures as potentially present. The absence of Godot is also about his presence and, at one level, the entire play can be read as a meditation on absence and presence. We only know of Godot’s intimation, and there is little by way of actualisation; however, the promise of his presence provides the backdrop against which all other activities occur. In this respect, he is a totalising influence...