Industrialized economies in the EU depend heavily on imports of minerals. The extraction and parts of the transport and processing of these minerals take place in the Global South and often bear high human rights and environmental risks. A lack of traceability in mineral supply chains makes it particularly difficult to hold companies accountable for negative environmental and social impacts of their operations and those of their suppliers. This paper analyses three mineral supply chains (copper, platinum, and gold) in order to develop propositions about how supply chain‐specific characteristics affect traceability and foreign corporate accountability (FCA) in mineral supply chains. The analytical framework focuses on three dimensions: geopolitical dynamics, industry characteristics, and private governance mechanisms. The authors argue that chain‐specific characteristics may foster or thwart traceability and FCA in mineral supply chains and thus provides a novel contribution to the debate on traceability and accountability in mineral supply chains.

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This paper analyses the transforming effects the “UNESCO intangible cultural heritage” label has on a cultural practice. It uses as a case study the ritual ceremony of the Voladores, an indigenous ritual dance practiced in different areas of Mexico since pre-colonial times. In 2009, it was declared the second of seven UNESCO intangible cultural heritages in Mexico. The following study examines ways in which perceptions and performance of the dance have changed after the declaration from an actor’s perspective. After the declaration the national and international interest of tourist and institutions increased. As a consequence, dancers were able to earn a significant amount of money and gain social recognition through public presentations of the dance, which transformed the ritual into an economic and social resource. On the one hand, the new function changed the ceremony in ways to make it more attractive to tourists. On the other hand, a tendency towards revitalizing and preserving traditional elements came to play as well. This was partly initiated through the UNESCO Safeguarding guidelines and pushed by many dancers afraid of a potential “sell-out of their culture to tourists”. These two aspects seem to be mutually exclusive at first but this paper will show that a binary model of “culture vs. commerce” does not provide an adequate conceptual framework to fully understand the complexities of culture.

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