Sara Geenen
Biographic Data
| ID | 190050 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sara Geenen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sara |
| FAMILY NAME | Geenen |
| SIGNATURE | GEENEN S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Antwerp |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0933-3974 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 242 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
Who controls the mine? Nodal Governance, security incidents, and hybrid coercion in the democratic Republic of Congo's Copperbelt
Cooperatives as Glocal gatekeepers: Vertical governance in Lualaba's Artisanal cobalt mines
The responsible cobalt sourcing assemblage: Thinking through a booming governance framework
Heterogeneity and Labour Agency in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo
This article considers the broad question of how to improve the conditions of workers in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), which relies on predominantly informal activities. While acknowledging that formalization can provide ASGM miners with tenure security and protection of labour rights, it is important to highlight that not all workers are likely to benefit from formalization in the same way, and that decent work ambitions should e…
Superfluous Jobs in Extractive Industries: The Usefulness/Uselessness of Job Creation after Dispossession
Job creation has become central to the global development agenda. Extractive industries in particular highlight employment opportunities for the host communities in which they operate through direct, indirect and induced jobs. Exploring literature on surplus populations/dispossession and distributive politics/Corporate Social Responsibility and using evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo, we scrutinize the idea of job creation in the ext…
Batwa return to their Eden? Intricacies of violence and resistance in eastern DRCongo's Kahuzi-Biega National Park
This article builds on debates about conflicts surrounding territorialisation for conservation. It elaborates on how slow violence can generate covert resistance which in turn transitions toward forms of overt resistance and sudden violence. Taking eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's Kahuzi-Biega National Park as an example, it argues that the violent reoccupation of the park by indigenous Batwa communities can be explained by three factors: (…
Formalizing artisanal and small-scale gold mining: A grand challenge of the Minamata Convention
Technologies and transformations. Traces from a collective research project
Work regimes and technology-driven transformations in DRCongo's artisanal and small-scale gold mines
Does formalization make a difference in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM)? Insights from the Philippines
Women who “age too fast”: Female work, bodies and health in the gold mines of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Articulating sedimented subjectivities: Extractive subject formation in eastern DRC
In this contribution, we examine how people living around industrial gold mining concessions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) view themselves in relation to the extractive industries. We apply Hall’s notion of articulation to grasp the layering of extractive subject formation in time and space, or what we call the “sedimentation of subjectivities”. The lens of articulation allows for a better understanding of how people engage with t…
Struggles over value: Corporate–state suppression of locally led mining mechanisation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The analytical framework deployed by the extensive global value chain (GVC) literature on African mining fails to consider how and from whom value is transferred within the process of establishing foreign corporate-led mining GVCs, and with what consequences. The authors explore these questions through a case study of the gold value chain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this context, they argue that a coalition between transnational c…
Gold and godfathers: Local content, politics, and capitalism in extractive industries
The gold commodity frontier: A fresh perspective on change and diversity in the global gold mining economy
Local elites’ extraversion and repositioning: Continuities and changes in Congo’s mineral production networks
Underground dreams. Uncertainty, risk and anticipation in the gold production network
Explaining fragmented and fluid mobilization in gold mining concessions in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mining cooperatives in Eastern DRC The interplay between historical power relations and formal institutions
Artisanal frontier mining of gold in Africa: Labour transformation in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo
This article studies the transformative nature of ‘artisanal frontier mining’ in view of sub-Saharan Africa's mining history. Artisanal gold production has generated livelihood earnings for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet we must go beyond a study of artisanal mining as an individual livelihood choice and consider the sector's internal dynamics. In this sense, the concept of ‘labour transformation’ is helpful. It refers to a process…
Different faces of access control in a Congolese gold mine
Mukungwe is a gold mine in eastern DRC, where mineral resources are commonly labelled ‘conflict minerals’. Although Mukungwe’s history has been characterised by conflict, we do not analyse the conflict here as a mere example of a mineral resource conflict. This article offers a more contextual understanding, starting from a detailed ethnographic and historical account and inspired by the literature on access control. In this sense, violence is un…
Evident but elusive
This chapter focuses on the gold sector in South Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Official gold production in South Kivu is extremely low. In reality, however, gold is currently the most important sub-sector in terms of the number of people involved and volumes and value produced. Gold mining and trade thus provide a livelihood for thousands of people in South Kivu, in a context where few viable alternative livelihoods are a…
Dispossession, displacement and resistance: Artisanal miners in a gold concession in South-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
In the face of reform: What future for ASM in the eastern DRC
Les grands poissons mangent les petits: Multiples aspects d'un conflit autour d'une concession minière au Sud-Kivu
Le présent article analyse les multiples aspects d'un conflit autour d'une concession minière au Sud-Kivu en République démocratique du Congo. Bien qu'il y ait toute une littérature sur les relations tendues entre communautés locales et entreprises minières transnationales, trop peu de recherches ont été faites sur les complexités du pouvoir à plusieurs niveaux, y compris au niveau local. Partant d'une approche empirique et par le bas, cet articl…
Underground dreams. Uncertainty, risk and anticipation in the gold production network
Relations and regulations in local gold trade networks in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
This article aims to contribute to a better understanding of the local gold trade in Eastern DRC, a sector in which most activities are not officially registered and take place outside the regulatory framework of the state. Starting with the research on informal economies and networks, we find that in the absence of strong public and market institutions, personal relations are valued higher than pure market exchange. This is also demonstrated in …
In the face of reform: What future for ASM in the eastern DRC
Mining cooperatives in Eastern DRC The interplay between historical power relations and formal institutions
The gold commodity frontier: A fresh perspective on change and diversity in the global gold mining economy
Explaining fragmented and fluid mobilization in gold mining concessions in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Artisanal frontier mining of gold in Africa: Labour transformation in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo
This article studies the transformative nature of ‘artisanal frontier mining’ in view of sub-Saharan Africa's mining history. Artisanal gold production has generated livelihood earnings for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet we must go beyond a study of artisanal mining as an individual livelihood choice and consider the sector's internal dynamics. In this sense, the concept of ‘labour transformation’ is helpful. It refers to a process…
Struggles over value: Corporate–state suppression of locally led mining mechanisation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The analytical framework deployed by the extensive global value chain (GVC) literature on African mining fails to consider how and from whom value is transferred within the process of establishing foreign corporate-led mining GVCs, and with what consequences. The authors explore these questions through a case study of the gold value chain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this context, they argue that a coalition between transnational c…
Local elites’ extraversion and repositioning: Continuities and changes in Congo’s mineral production networks
Disputed access to the gold sites in Luhwindja, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
In a context of increased competition over natural resources, large-scale investors are showing renewed interest in eastern Congo's mineral resources. At the local level this is resulting in fierce disputes over access to land and to mining sites. This article offers an empirical study of access in Luhwindja, where a multinational mining company has recently begun to exploit gold. We first sketch the context, examining the overlapping legal field…
Batwa return to their Eden? Intricacies of violence and resistance in eastern DRCongo's Kahuzi-Biega National Park
This article builds on debates about conflicts surrounding territorialisation for conservation. It elaborates on how slow violence can generate covert resistance which in turn transitions toward forms of overt resistance and sudden violence. Taking eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's Kahuzi-Biega National Park as an example, it argues that the violent reoccupation of the park by indigenous Batwa communities can be explained by three factors: (…
Does formalization make a difference in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM)? Insights from the Philippines
Gold and godfathers: Local content, politics, and capitalism in extractive industries
Women who “age too fast”: Female work, bodies and health in the gold mines of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Who Seeks, Finds’: How Artisanal Miners and Traders Benefit from Gold in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Superfluous Jobs in Extractive Industries: The Usefulness/Uselessness of Job Creation after Dispossession
Job creation has become central to the global development agenda. Extractive industries in particular highlight employment opportunities for the host communities in which they operate through direct, indirect and induced jobs. Exploring literature on surplus populations/dispossession and distributive politics/Corporate Social Responsibility and using evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo, we scrutinize the idea of job creation in the ext…
Win-win or unequal exchange? The case of the Sino-Congolese cooperation agreements
The recent involvement of China in sub-Saharan Africa is challenging and changing the world geostrategic scene. In the article, we analyse the agreements between the Congolese government and a group of Chinese state-owned enterprises. A number of public infrastructure works will be financed with Chinese loans. To guarantee reimbursement, a Congolese/Chinese joint venture will be created to extract and sell copper, cobalt and gold. These are the b…
Work regimes and technology-driven transformations in DRCongo's artisanal and small-scale gold mines
Articulating sedimented subjectivities: Extractive subject formation in eastern DRC
In this contribution, we examine how people living around industrial gold mining concessions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) view themselves in relation to the extractive industries. We apply Hall’s notion of articulation to grasp the layering of extractive subject formation in time and space, or what we call the “sedimentation of subjectivities”. The lens of articulation allows for a better understanding of how people engage with t…
Different faces of access control in a Congolese gold mine
Mukungwe is a gold mine in eastern DRC, where mineral resources are commonly labelled ‘conflict minerals’. Although Mukungwe’s history has been characterised by conflict, we do not analyse the conflict here as a mere example of a mineral resource conflict. This article offers a more contextual understanding, starting from a detailed ethnographic and historical account and inspired by the literature on access control. In this sense, violence is un…
Les grands poissons mangent les petits: Multiples aspects d'un conflit autour d'une concession minière au Sud-Kivu
Le présent article analyse les multiples aspects d'un conflit autour d'une concession minière au Sud-Kivu en République démocratique du Congo. Bien qu'il y ait toute une littérature sur les relations tendues entre communautés locales et entreprises minières transnationales, trop peu de recherches ont été faites sur les complexités du pouvoir à plusieurs niveaux, y compris au niveau local. Partant d'une approche empirique et par le bas, cet articl…
Heterogeneity and Labour Agency in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo
This article considers the broad question of how to improve the conditions of workers in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), which relies on predominantly informal activities. While acknowledging that formalization can provide ASGM miners with tenure security and protection of labour rights, it is important to highlight that not all workers are likely to benefit from formalization in the same way, and that decent work ambitions should e…
Win-win or unequal exchange? The case of the Sino-Congolese cooperation agreements
The recent involvement of China in sub-Saharan Africa is challenging and changing the world geostrategic scene. In the article, we analyse the agreements between the Congolese government and a group of Chinese state-owned enterprises. A number of public infrastructure works will be financed with Chinese loans. To guarantee reimbursement, a Congolese/Chinese joint venture will be created to extract and sell copper, cobalt and gold. These are the b…
Relations and regulations in local gold trade networks in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
This article aims to contribute to a better understanding of the local gold trade in Eastern DRC, a sector in which most activities are not officially registered and take place outside the regulatory framework of the state. Starting with the research on informal economies and networks, we find that in the absence of strong public and market institutions, personal relations are valued higher than pure market exchange. This is also demonstrated in …
A dangerous bet: The challenges of formalizing artisanal mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Who Seeks, Finds’: How Artisanal Miners and Traders Benefit from Gold in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Les grands poissons mangent les petits: Multiples aspects d'un conflit autour d'une concession minière au Sud-Kivu
Le présent article analyse les multiples aspects d'un conflit autour d'une concession minière au Sud-Kivu en République démocratique du Congo. Bien qu'il y ait toute une littérature sur les relations tendues entre communautés locales et entreprises minières transnationales, trop peu de recherches ont été faites sur les complexités du pouvoir à plusieurs niveaux, y compris au niveau local. Partant d'une approche empirique et par le bas, cet articl…
Disputed access to the gold sites in Luhwindja, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
In a context of increased competition over natural resources, large-scale investors are showing renewed interest in eastern Congo's mineral resources. At the local level this is resulting in fierce disputes over access to land and to mining sites. This article offers an empirical study of access in Luhwindja, where a multinational mining company has recently begun to exploit gold. We first sketch the context, examining the overlapping legal field…
Dispossession, displacement and resistance: Artisanal miners in a gold concession in South-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
In the face of reform: What future for ASM in the eastern DRC
Evident but elusive
This chapter focuses on the gold sector in South Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Official gold production in South Kivu is extremely low. In reality, however, gold is currently the most important sub-sector in terms of the number of people involved and volumes and value produced. Gold mining and trade thus provide a livelihood for thousands of people in South Kivu, in a context where few viable alternative livelihoods are a…
Mining cooperatives in Eastern DRC The interplay between historical power relations and formal institutions
Artisanal frontier mining of gold in Africa: Labour transformation in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo
This article studies the transformative nature of ‘artisanal frontier mining’ in view of sub-Saharan Africa's mining history. Artisanal gold production has generated livelihood earnings for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet we must go beyond a study of artisanal mining as an individual livelihood choice and consider the sector's internal dynamics. In this sense, the concept of ‘labour transformation’ is helpful. It refers to a process…
Different faces of access control in a Congolese gold mine
Mukungwe is a gold mine in eastern DRC, where mineral resources are commonly labelled ‘conflict minerals’. Although Mukungwe’s history has been characterised by conflict, we do not analyse the conflict here as a mere example of a mineral resource conflict. This article offers a more contextual understanding, starting from a detailed ethnographic and historical account and inspired by the literature on access control. In this sense, violence is un…
Explaining fragmented and fluid mobilization in gold mining concessions in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
The gold commodity frontier: A fresh perspective on change and diversity in the global gold mining economy
Local elites’ extraversion and repositioning: Continuities and changes in Congo’s mineral production networks
Underground dreams. Uncertainty, risk and anticipation in the gold production network
Gold and godfathers: Local content, politics, and capitalism in extractive industries
Struggles over value: Corporate–state suppression of locally led mining mechanisation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The analytical framework deployed by the extensive global value chain (GVC) literature on African mining fails to consider how and from whom value is transferred within the process of establishing foreign corporate-led mining GVCs, and with what consequences. The authors explore these questions through a case study of the gold value chain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this context, they argue that a coalition between transnational c…
Formalizing artisanal and small-scale gold mining: A grand challenge of the Minamata Convention
Technologies and transformations. Traces from a collective research project
Work regimes and technology-driven transformations in DRCongo's artisanal and small-scale gold mines
Does formalization make a difference in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM)? Insights from the Philippines
Women who “age too fast”: Female work, bodies and health in the gold mines of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Articulating sedimented subjectivities: Extractive subject formation in eastern DRC
In this contribution, we examine how people living around industrial gold mining concessions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) view themselves in relation to the extractive industries. We apply Hall’s notion of articulation to grasp the layering of extractive subject formation in time and space, or what we call the “sedimentation of subjectivities”. The lens of articulation allows for a better understanding of how people engage with t…
Superfluous Jobs in Extractive Industries: The Usefulness/Uselessness of Job Creation after Dispossession
Job creation has become central to the global development agenda. Extractive industries in particular highlight employment opportunities for the host communities in which they operate through direct, indirect and induced jobs. Exploring literature on surplus populations/dispossession and distributive politics/Corporate Social Responsibility and using evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo, we scrutinize the idea of job creation in the ext…
Mining and Resource Management (28 works) · Political science (25 works) · Economics (22 works) · Law (19 works) · Politics (18 works) · Democracy (17 works) · Geography (17 works) · Hydropower, Displacement, Environmental Impact (17 works) · Law (14 works) · Sociology (13 works)