Abstract
Over the past two decades growing scarcity and rising costs have pushed artisanal and small-scale gold miners all over the world towards mechanization and technological innovation. Based on qualitative data gathered in the two largest artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) towns in South Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we analyze what these technological innovations imply for the ASGM work regime, conceptualized as the set of practices used to organize and control workers. We observe transformations in workers’ tasks, skills and specializations; a reorganization of working time and space; an evolution in the payment system towards wage labour; a concentration of financial capital; and a strengthening of the position of mining cooperatives. We also stress the embedded and sedimented nature of these transformations.
Published Version
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