Redistributive matronage: a moral economy of female traders and the ruling elite in Equatorial Guinea

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper explores the historicity of the marketplace in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, focusing on testimonies from senior petty traders. It investigates the role of the marketplace as a site for redistributive matronage by analysing the historical accounts of market women. The article reveals key institutions, including the female section of the ruling party, market-sellers' associations, and the business-partner (socia) system, which collectively contribute to a resilient moral economy. This moral economy has persisted through various political-economic regimes since the country's independence in 1968. The paper connects the concept of the moral economy with debates on redistributive labour and patronage, providing insights into market women's daily activities as both generators and by-products of the country's political economy. Instead of presenting an alternative to political-economic analysis of Equatorial Guinea, this ethnographic investigation offers fundamental insights into the regime's actual functioning and its hegemonic reproduction.