Risk, Envy and Magic in the Artisanal Mining Sector of South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3885086 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nik Stoop (0000-0003-0787-8038, University of Antwerp), Marijke Verpoorten (0000-0003-1619-3030, University of Antwerp, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1199-1224 |
| Publication date | 2020-09-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Development and Change (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0012-155X • E-ISSN: 1467-7660 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/dech.12586 |
| OpenAlex | W3012535792 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 35 |
Scholars largely agree that witchcraft beliefs in sub-Saharan Africa remain virulent. The 'modernity of witchcraft' is said to thrive on friction between the local moral economy and new socio-economic realities. This article focuses on the appeal of witchcraft beliefs in the artisanal mining sector of South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. It argues that the 'do-or-die', 'zero-sum' and 'caught-in-the-middle' context of artisanal mining provides fertile ground for witchcraft beliefs, and underlies the cross-cultural similarities of such beliefs as documented in the handful of studies on witchcraft in the artisanal mining sector. Whereas previous studies provided a thick description of witchcraft beliefs and practices, this study relies on both qualitative and quantitative data from a sample of 469 artisanal miners in a mining town in South Kivu. The analysis confirms the 'modernity of witchcraft' thesis, but also nuances it, and provides further insight into the 'rationale' of witchcraft beliefs and accusations in the context of artisanal mining
Appeal · Archaeology · Context (archaeology) · Democracy · Development economics · Economics · Geography · MAGIC (telescope) · Modernity · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Hydropower, Displacement, Environmental Impact · Law · Mining and Resource Management · Natural Resources and Economic Development
Mineral exhaustion, livelihoods and persistence of vulnerabilities in ASM settings
The Social Consequences of Traditional Religion in Contemporary Africa
The occult goes underground
Industrial versus artisanal mining
Artisanal gold mining in Mauritania
Gold and geo-uncertainty in the making
Power, Politics, and the Supernatural
Conflict minerals and battery materials supply chains
Witchcraft, Envy, and Norm Enforcement in Mauritius
Elusive Gold and Uncertainty in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining
Witchcraft, Intimacy, and Trust
Small-scale mining, poverty and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa
Sex differences and statistical stereotyping in attitudes toward financial risk
Risk Aversion and Incentive Effects
The modernity of witchcraft
Power and Popular Protest
Occult Economies and the Violence of Abstraction
Poverty and Witch Killing
Witchcraft, Weather and Economic Growth in Renaissance Europe
Witchcraft and African development
Artisanal or industrial conflict minerals? Evidence from Eastern Congo
Magic and witchcraft
Only women can whisper to gods
Sorcery in the Black Atlantic
Lega Culture
Underground dreams. Uncertainty, risk and anticipation in the gold production network
Who believes in witches? Institutional flux in Sierra Leone
Invisible power, visible dispossession
Witchcraft Beliefs and Witch Hunts
Miners' magic
Domesticating Diamonds and Dollars
Domesticating personal violence
Occult economies and the violence of abstraction
Disease Etiologies in Non-Western Medical Systems
Peasant Society and the Image of Limited Good
Sweat and Blood
Who Owns the Diamonds? The Occult Eco-Nomy of Diamond Mining in Sierra Leone
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2025 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |