The panel “Ethical Extraction in Discourse and Practice” included Emma’s presentation “Post-Mining Futures: Ethics, Accumulation and the Timing of sustainable Development in Zambia’s Copperbelts.” Her presentation triggered an interesting discussion as it nicely interacted with both the presentations of panel organiser Brian Brazael and the one of colleague presenter Matthew Nesvet.
Tom organised the panel “Global Encounters in Trade Unionism: Resistance, Compromise and Adaption,” which he equally chaired. Kristien’s presentation “Lost in translation and trapped in political dynamics: A Congolese union delegation in a Chinese company” dealt with a wildcat strike at a Chinese mining company, and showed how this event revealed not only the underlying tensions at the work floor, but also the opportunity the political context offered to the strikers. Tom himself presented his paper “’A Reasonable Negotiation?’ Trade Unions’ conflicting responsibilities in Zambian Neoliberalism,” which deals with the way union branch leaders gradually absorb managers’ discourse as a way to do damage control whenever a company’s financial situation gets precarious. They were joined by another scholar working on unionism, Julia Soul.
Finally, at the very last round of panels the conference held in store, Francesca presented her paper “Women in a male world. The case of female mineworkers in the Congolese Copperbelt.” Sided by two scholars who equally hone in on the gender question in typically “male” environments, Patricia Taber and Dawn Batts. Their presentations allowed to cross-fertilise ideas and offer insights, a perfect way to conclude this conference.