Engaging the MEC: Or a Few of My Views on a Few Things (Minerals-Energy Complex‪)‬

Introduction In looking back upon a decade since the publication of Fine and Rustomjee (1997), I begin below with reflection on how the idea of the minerals-energy complex (MEC) came into being. This is followed by an account of the continuing evolution of the MEC after democratic transition, emphasising the roles of both financialisation and export of conglomerate capital. The next section suggests how the MEC could provide a much broader fulcrum on which to understand South Africa's economic and social history (and prospects). And the concluding remarks reflect upon the challenges facing scholarship in the years ahead.