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Paper short abstract:

The paper explores the concept of ‘indirect urbanization’, the investment by artisanal miners in housing at locations different from where they originate and work, and how this needs to be included in analyses pertaining to poverty and urban growth when addressing artisanal mining dynamics.

Paper long abstract:

There are strong indications that Tanzania is transforming from an agrarian to a mineral-based economy. During recent decades, people have migrated to artisanal mining settlements throughout the country, though nowhere as much as in the gold and diamond fields south of Lake Victoria. Often, their stay in mining towns is temporary; they originate from elsewhere, invest elsewhere, and build and eventually settle down elsewhere. Based on evidence from extensive fieldwork in both recent 'rush-like' and mature artisanal gold and diamond mining settlements, the paper examines residents' priorities and choices related to location of current and permanent residence, and planned retirement as well as how these alter with income levels and as settlements mature, boom or bust. In order to adequately examine this phenomenon, the paper also draws on evidence from recent interviews conducted in the urban metropolises of the gold and diamond fields, notably in Mwanza City, where many successful artisanal miners have decided to retire. The main aim of the paper is to show the multi-locational strategies and trajectories of Tanzania's artisanal miners, hence emphasizing the need for analyses that capture this when researching artisanal mining sites.