Publication
Title
Underground dreams. Uncertainty, risk and anticipation in the gold production network
Author
Abstract
Gold, precious yet painstakingly extracted, fuels the dreams of diggers, traders, managers, investors and consumers at the local and the global level. But gold extraction and trade are characterized by much uncertainty, related to the commoditys fixity in the underground, its embeddedness in national states and local institutions and its connections to markets. Focusing on the gold production network in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, this article reinforces earlier arguments about risk: first, it operates at the intersection of capital and rule; second, it obscures the uneven distribution of capitalisms negative impact, as well as corporate actors active role in producing such impact. Moreover, it argues that the production of risk (expected costs) and anticipation (expected gains) by corporate actors conceals and devalues the ways in which other actors in the gold production network deal with the extreme uncertainty that characterizes the market and the institutional environment in which they operate, as well as the resources materiality. It concludes that an analytical focus on uncertainty, risk and anticipation enhances our understanding of relations and conflicts in the gold production network.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Geoforum. - London
Publication
London : 2018
ISSN
0016-7185
DOI
10.1016/J.GEOFORUM.2018.02.019
Volume/pages
91 (2018) , p. 30-38
ISI
000434000800004
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
InforMining? An in-depth study of informalization processes in global gold production.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 08.03.2018
Last edited 09.10.2023
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