Raphael Deberdt is a Liu Scholar and PhD student in the Department of Anthropology of the University of British Columbia and a recipient of the Public Scholar Initiative. His research is inscribed in the subfield of mining anthropology and explores the impacts that extractive industries hold on local communities. He studies the role of artisanal miners in the cobalt industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and their integration in global markets, particularly in the battery manufacturing sector.
Raphael’s professional career has included roles in the supply chain and minerals sustainability sector, from a private sector and non-profit perspectives. He holds a MA in International Relations from Sciences Po Lyon, a MA in African Studies from Stanford University, a LLM in African Legal Studies from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and a MA in Anthropology from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS).
His project is mentored by Dr. Philippe Le Billon and addresses the development of deep-sea mining and its potential impacts on traditional mineral suppliers such as the DRC.
Research interests: green transition, anthropology of mining, Democratic Republic of the Congo, battery manufacturing, cobalt