Africa's Informal Workers: Collective Agency, Alliances and Transnational Organizing in Urban Africa (Africa Now)

Part of the groundbreaking Africa Now series, Africa's Informal Workers explores the deepening processes of informalization and casualization of work that are changing livelihood opportunities and conditions in Africa and beyond. In doing so, the book addresses the collectively organized responses to these changes, presenting them as an important dimension of the contemporary politics of informality in Africa. It goes beyond the usual focus on household 'coping strategies' and individual forms of agency, by addressing the growing number of collective organizations through which informal 'workers' make themselves visible and articulate their demands and interests. The emerging picture is that of a highly diverse landscape of organised actors, reflecting the great diversity of interests in the informal economy. This provides grounds for tensions but also opportunities for alliance. The book also explores the novel trend of transnational organizing by informal workers, gathering case studies from nine countries and cities across Sub-Saharan Africa, and from sectors ranging from urban informal vending and service delivery, to informal manufacturing, casual port work and cross-border trade.Africa's Informal Workers is a vigorous and timely examination of the changes in African livelihoods caused by deep and ongoing economic, political and social transformations. Introduction : The Changing Politics Of Informality : Collective Organizing, Alliances And Scales Of Engagement / Ilda Lindell -- Seen But Not Heard : Urban Voice And Citizenship For Street Traders / Alison Brown And Michal Lyons -- The Politics Of Vulnerability : Exit, Voice And Capture In Three Nigerian Informal Manufacturing Clusters / Kate Meagher -- Women Leaders And The Sense Of Power : Clientelism And Citizenship At The Dantokpa Market In Cotonou, Benin / Ebbe Prag -- Alliances Across The Formal-informal Divide : South African Debates And Nigerian Experiences / Gunilla Andrae And Björn Beckman -- Self-organized Informal Workers And Trade Union Initiatives In Malawi : Organizing The Informal Economy / Ignasio Malizani Jimu -- Moments Of Resistance : The Struggle Against Informalization In Cape Town / David Christoffer Jordhus-lier -- The Possibilities For Collective Organization Of Informal Port Workers In Tema, Ghana / Owusu Boampong -- The 'china Challenge' : The Global Dimensions Of Activism And The Informal Economy In Dakar / Suzanne Scheld -- Passport, Please : The Cross-border Traders Association In Zambia / Wilma S. Nchito And Karen Tranberg Hansen -- Informal Workers In Kenya And Transnational Organizing : Networking And Leveraging Resources / Winnie V. Mitullah. Edited By Ilda Lindell. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Africa's Informal Workers is a vigorous examination of the informalization and casualization of work, which is changing livelihoods in Africa and beyond. Gathering cases from nine countries and cities across sub-Saharan Africa, and from a range of sectors, this volume goes beyond the usual focus on household 'coping strategies' and individual agency, addressing the growing number of collective organizations through which informal workers make themselves visible and articulate their demands and interests. The emerging picture is that of a highly diverse landscape of organized actors, providing grounds for tension but also opportunities for alliance. The collection examines attempts at organizing across the formal-informal work spheres, and explores the novel trend of transnational organizing by informal workers. Part of the ground-breaking Africa Now series, Africa's Informal Workers is a timely exploration of deep, ongoing economic, political and social transformations. 'Africa's Informal Workers' is a vigorous examination of the informalisation & casualisation of work, which is changing livelihoods in Africa & elsewhere