Chipangura, Njabulo (2019) “We are one big happy family”: The social organisation of artisanal and small scale gold mining in Eastern Zimbabwe. The Extractive Industries and Society, 6 (4). pp. 1265-1273. ISSN 2214-790X
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Abstract
In Eastern Zimbabwe, artisanal and small scale mining (ASM) has become a way of life that provides a source of
livelihood to thousands of unemployed people. Moving away from the popularised discourse that views artisanal
miners as ‘illegal’ villains who recklessly pollute the environment, this paper takes an inside look into their social
organisation. It argues that artisanal gold mining is an entrepreneurial activity that is regulated by a set of sociocultural processes. The paper looks specifically at the growth of ASM within Mutanda Range in Odzi communal
lands in Eastern Zimbabwe; it is based on long-term ethnographic engagements involving interviews with miners
and participant observation. Despite being labelled as criminals because of the informal nature of their activities,
this paper will argue that gold miners working at Mutanda Range have well-organised working structures with
clearly defined roles for those who undertake mining.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Big happy family; Artisanal mining; Habitus; Apprenticeship; Mining lottery; Mutanda Range; Violence; |
| Academic Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Anthropology |
| Item ID: | 21523 |
| Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.exis.2019.08.001 |
| Depositing User: | Njabulo Chipangura |
| Date Deposited: | 08 May 2026 14:35 |
| Journal or Publication Title: | The Extractive Industries and Society |
| Publisher: | Elsevier |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Related URLs: | |
| Use Licence: | This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here |
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