Mining history, poems and songs: Extensible lessons about extractable corporate social responsibility (CSR)

The mining industry is regarded by many as the poster child for weak Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This view requires updating; while some mining companies are still caught engaging in bad behavior, others are at the forefront of global best practices in CSR. Mining CSR is complex and challenging: operations are extremely labor- and capital-intensive, often in remote locations where political issues might arise. It is dangerous work. Profitability requires complex production and logistics chains and long payback horizons, and mining is environmentally- and socially-intrusive and extensive. But this has been true throughout mining's history. Lessons can be drawn about CSR from mining history, song, and poetry which can be extended into other extractive industries and even beyond.