Paper short abstract:

Using labour control regimes and social reproduction as an analytical framework, this paper sheds light on how the labour processes in ASM contribute to class formation and differentiation.

Paper long abstract:

Despite the expanse of studies on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Africa, discussions on how labour processes work in the sector remain limited in the literature. Using labour control regimes and social reproduction as an analytical framework, this paper sheds light on how the labour processes in ASM contribute to class formation and differentiation. It is revealed that the ASM sector in Ghana is an ‘unregulated space’ that facilitates class struggle and competition for capitalist accumulation. Despite being a largely ‘unregulated space’, successful participation in ASM in Ghana is mediated by relations with powerful elites, including political actors. The use of the risk and profit-sharing strategy, where the earnings of workers are tied to the profitability of the extracted gold ore, ensures the integration of miners into the production system and creates a sense of inclusion in the extractive process. In addition to integrating workers, the risk and profit-sharing strategy is recognised as a tool for labour control that facilitates workers’ exploitation in favour of surplus accumulation for the powerful elites. The paper shows how labour relations and outcomes in ASM have been shaped and are continually influenced by cultural and historical legacies that predate colonialism.