ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the history of the San Cristobal community and its surrounding region as revealed in a retrospective study that tracked the perceived levels of social licence granted by the communities to the company. To compensate for government failures, which produce community opposition later, Cooney recommended that mining companies seek a social licence directly from communities. In the 19th century and most of the 20th century, 'social licence' meant breaking social norms, or not feeling compelled to observe social norms. In contemporary usage, the phrase social licence applies to the level of acceptance or approval of an organisation's activities. This meaning invokes a metaphor with the legal licences needed by mining companies to begin their projects. Implicit in Cooney's metaphor was the idea that communities, or more broadly, networks of stakeholders, have the power to obstruct projects, even if those projects have been approved by government.
