Paper short abstract:

Based on an eighteen months’ fieldwork in a malinké village in Guinea, this paper questions urbanization through the analysis of ephemeral spaces induced by gold mining mobility. Its purpose is to raise the issue of temporality of spaces in the processes of urbanization in African mining contexts.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper, I wish to question the distinction between urban and rural spaces through gold mining mobility in Upper Guinea. This work is based on an eighteen months' fieldwork in a malinké village, where an increasing number of inhabitants are working in the artisanal gold mines during the dry season. All inhabitants agree that this exploitation has considerably changed their social organization on different levels such as households' economy, gender relations, agricultural work and particularly youth mobility. I wish to question the evolutions that have occurred within the various forms of mining-related migrations, and the way in which they create and characterise spaces.

Gold exploitation in this region is known for centuries, but has considerably increased in the 2000's. This seasonal mobility led to the multiplication of temporary mining camps, depending on the exploitation of the surrounding fields. Indeed, when a mining area is first exploited, miners, but also traveling salespeople, come and settle in the camps during months to profit from the temporary crowds, contributing to the building of a relatively autonomous space and new forms of sociability. Furthermore, during the last few years, the introduction of metal detectors has given rise to more rapid and seemingly more chaotic migrations, implying continuous mobility instead of temporary installation in camps. This paper aims to show how these types of ephemeral spaces, closely linked to mobility, are directly questioning the definition of urban and rural spaces, by introducing the issue of temporality.