Bronfenbrenner’ın Sosyo-Ekolojik Sistemi Bağlamında Çanakkale Altın Madenciliği: Nitel Bir Çalışma
Canakkale Gold Mining in the Context of Bronfenbrenner's Socio-Ecological System: A Qualitative Study

Summary/Abstract: Gold has retained its strategic significance throughout human history due to its economic, cultural, and financial functions. Today, gold is not only a store of value or a financial investment instrument but also a strategic resource for producing countries, contributing to trade balance, public revenues, employment, and regional development. However, gold mining activities, while generating economic outputs, also give rise to complex and multi-layered externalities. This study aims to analyze gold mining activities in Çanakkale Province and its surroundings through the lens of Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) socio-ecological systems theory, based on the experiences of three key stakeholder groups: local residents, public officials, and private sector representatives. A qualitative research design was adopted, and data were collected between September and November 2024. Using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 participants. Interviews lasted between 45 and 70 minutes, were audio-recorded, transcribed, anonymized, and analyzed. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University (Approval No: 2024/176). The data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis approach: (1) familiarization with the data, (2) generating initial codes, (3) searching for themes, (4) reviewing themes, (5) defining and naming themes, and (6) producing the report. Thematic analysis revealed five main themes: mutual dependency, feedback mechanisms, reaction or resistance, scale of impacts, and adaptive governance. Collectively, these themes indicate that the studied socio-ecological system is characterized by limited responsiveness to feedback, suppressed or redirected social resistance, local concentration of impacts, centralized decision-making, and superficial adaptive capacity. Findings suggest that the externalities of gold mining are not solely environmental but also deeply embedded in social relations, cultural norms, and governance practices. The study proposes that such externalities should not be framed merely as “environmental damage,” but as “multi-scalar disruptions to vital systems,” requiring a more nuanced and integrative perspective.

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