Contemporary rural change : the complex case of Jerdacuttup, Western Australia

n 2004, BHP Billiton announced it would open what has since become a US$2.2 billion nickel mine in the rural Shire of Ravensthorpe, Western Australia. The arrival of this mine exemplifies profound and rapid rural economic change. Taking the position that economic change cannot be understood separately from local social aspects and contexts, this paper offers a brief critical exploration of the lay experiences of the Jerdacuttup community, home to the mine site. Arguing that the relationships between economic change and social and cultural contexts and responses must be considered in terms of their highly local articulations, this paper seeks to contribute to the rural change literature, in particular work on the social and cultural aspects ofeconomic change.