Publication
Title
Framing spaces as (il)legitimate : "dirty" cobalt and the (mis)uses of artisanal and small-scale mining sites in south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Author
Abstract
As large-scale mining (LSM) companies and other commercial actors capitalise on a demand boom for Congolese cobalt, they have framed artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) spaces as problematic and illegitimate to make themselves appear “cleaner” than locally legitimate artisanal mining. Firms have emphasised the negative facets of artisanally mined cobalt, characterising their own production as “clean” and problem free. Capitalist actors’ framing of artisanal mining spaces as “illegitimate” or “dirty” is a powerful narrative that produces significant consequences. First, ASM, a minority of total cobalt production, becomes the focus of negative publicity; this framing erases the negative impacts of LSM. In turn, illicit “taxation” by public and private security forces at LSM sites is overlooked despite its systemic, organised nature. Next, the framing obscures the multiple interconnections between ASM and LSM. Finally, the framing of ASM spaces allows capitalist actors to claim these spaces to reshape and “organise” them.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Canadian journal of African studies. - Ottawa, Ont.
Publication
Ottawa, Ont. : 2024
ISSN
0008-3968
DOI
10.1080/00083968.2023.2273500
Volume/pages
58 :1 (2024) , p. 109-131
ISI
001137632800001
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
The author-created version that incorporates referee comments and is the accepted for publication version Available from 03.01.2025
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 03.01.2024
Last edited 01.07.2024
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