Glocal’ Movements

Place Struggles and Transnational Organizing by Informal Workers

Bibliographic Data

ID7097906
AuthorsIlda Lindell (0000-0003-1986-1671, The Nordic Africa Institute, Box 1703, SE‐751 47 Uppsala, Sweden. E–mail, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume91
Issue2
Pages123-136
Publication date2009-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueGeografiska Annaler Series B Human Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0435-3684 • E-ISSN: 1468-0467
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1468-0467.2009.00310.x
OpenAlexW2015672821
LanguageEN
Citations received17
References cited41

This paper investigates the scalar practices of collectively organized informal workers and the political implications of such practices. It illustrates how the studied group organizes across scales – hence, a 'glocal movement'– and stresses the importance of an analysis that integrates these multiple scales of collective organizing, as they may have a bearing on each other. In so doing, it contests a common tendency to analytically privilege one or other scale of resistance and agency. In particular, I argue that networking across scales may be of significance for local struggles and thus play a role in local politics. The transnational activities of the studied group assist it in challenging local power relations and dominant place projects that repress informal livelihood activities. This paper comprises a conceptual discussion of notions of scale, of conceptions of the spatialities and scales of resistance as well as of place, followed by an empirical illustration that refers to an association of informal vendors in Maputo, Mozambique, and its international connections. The analysis is based on interviews with vendors, leaders of the association and with the international partners of the association.Key words: scalespatialities of resistancetransnational movementspolitics of placegrassroots organizationsinformal sector

Agency (philosophy · Contentious politics · Globalization · Glocalization · Livelihood · Political science · Politics · Privilege (computing · Resistance (ecology · Scale (ratio · Social movement · Social science · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Contemporary Cultural and Social Studies · Development, Ethics, and Society · Gender Studies

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