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Erschienen in: Social Justice Research 4/2018

20.08.2018

Digging for Gold or Justice? Misrecognition and Marginalization of “Illegal” Small-Scale Miners in Ghana

verfasst von: Daisy Rose Ofori, Jerome Jeffison Ofori

Erschienen in: Social Justice Research | Ausgabe 4/2018

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Abstract

Artisanal small-scale mining remains a concern to many mineral-rich countries in the developing world. In Ghana, a significant number of those engaged in the sector are operating illegally. The ubiquity of the illegal mining sector has posed a policy challenge to the government, and high-handed measures to curb the problem have failed. This study contributes to our understanding of the problem by providing a more nuanced alternative perspective to the illegality discourse that has informed discussions and policy till now. Based on qualitative primary data collected from Noyem, a mining community in Ghana, the study shows that the so-called illegal small-scale mining is an outcome of existing social injustices suffered by the miners. It further reveals that those engaged in the sector are not homogenous but differentiated by class and motive. The study recommends among others that government addresses the identified social injustices rather than simply focusing on law enforcement to address the problem.

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Fußnoten
1
See Minerals and Mining Act 2006, section 82.
 
2
Galamsey is a conjoined slang referring to gathering and selling. It is an adept description of the rudimentary nature of the mining activity involving gathering of surface soil with rudimentary tools and then selling it directly to middle men. This contrasts with the formalized and hi-tech process used by large-scale mining companies.
 
3
Flash-out operations are crackdown exercises where the government sends the military or police to mining communities to round up and arrest individuals involved in the illegal mining business (provide references of those who have mentioned the term).
 
4
For confidentiality, all names used in this work are fictitious.
 
5
Utilizing social capital to obtain a job.
 
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Metadaten
Titel
Digging for Gold or Justice? Misrecognition and Marginalization of “Illegal” Small-Scale Miners in Ghana
verfasst von
Daisy Rose Ofori
Jerome Jeffison Ofori
Publikationsdatum
20.08.2018
Verlag
Springer US
Erschienen in
Social Justice Research / Ausgabe 4/2018
Print ISSN: 0885-7466
Elektronische ISSN: 1573-6725
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-018-0313-x