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ABSTRACT
Through an analysis of women who work in artisanal mining in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, this article demonstrates that women are active agents in natural resource extraction in the region, engaging in daily tactics to maintain work and counter gendered exclusions. This article argues that women’s efforts to benefit from mining capitalism go beyond mere survival to foster expressions of infra-politics, where small everyday acts hold broader political significance. This study analyses women’s ‘politics of the everyday’ in a context of political instability and rural poverty, contributing to a broader understanding of what constitutes ‘the political’.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 3T refers to tin, tungsten and tantalum, all of which (plus gold) are considered ‘conflict minerals’ in the region.
2 Formal banks for alternative loans do not exist in Masisi. The closest bank is in the provincial Goma, distant by 65 km and a $20 USD return fare (almost half a monthly income). In addition, the majority of participants in this study did not have mobile phones, and thus cannot access mobile banking services, which are popular in the region.
3 This price is based on information from respondents in this study and local contacts.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Allison Furniss
Allison Furniss is a doctoral candidate in the department of social and cultural anthropology at the University of Cape Town. Her doctoral research is with women who work along the 3T (tin, tungsten, tantalum) mineral supply chain from extractive sites in Central Africa to export from East Africa. She is interested in research relating to gender, the politics of labour, natural resource extraction, the Anthropocene and global supply chains.