This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this record.This article investigates the profound ambiguity of the state in the organization of contemporary
business-society relations. On the one hand, there has been a decisive shift from government to
governance, encouraging private actors, such as corporations, communities and NGOs, to address
social and environmental concerns themselves, i.e. without the state’s involvement. On the other
hand, however, the continued importance and relevance of the organized state is difficult to ignore.
In this article we examine the role of the state in three cases of mining conflicts in Chile, one of the
most important mining countries in the world. Through longitudinal, qualitative research of
conflictive mining governance relations between state organizations, large corporations and local
communities, we show that the modes of influence conducted by the Chilean state oscillate between
direct, central steering (‘cathedral’) and indirect, dispersed vouching (‘bazaar’). Elaborating on
Foucault’s concept of governmentality, we offer a hybrid theory of state organization, where the
dematerialization of the state’s responsibility is seen not as the norm but rather as a particular mode
of governance that sits alongside the underestimated, yet enduring, material involvement of the state