Conflict Minerals, Inc.: War, Profit and White Saviourism in Eastern Congo

by Christoph N. Vogel

Overview

In the twenty-first century, the relationship between violent conflict and natural resources has become a matter of intense public and academic debate. As a result of fervent activism and international campaigning, the flagship case of "conflict minerals" has captured global attention. This term groups together the artisanal tin, tantalum (coltan), tungsten and gold originating from war zones in Central Africa. Known as "digital minerals" for their use in high-end technology, their exploitation and trade has been singled out in numerous media and United Nations reports as a key driver of violence, provoking an unprecedented popular outcry and prompting transnational efforts to promote 'conflict-free', ethical mining. Focusing on the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Conflict Minerals, Inc. is the first comprehensive analysis of this phenomenon. Based on meticulous investigation and long-term fieldwork, this book analyses why the campaign against "unethical" mining went awry, and radically disrupted eastern Congo's political economy. It dissects the evolution of the conflict minerals paradigm, the policy responses it triggered and their impact on artisanal miners. Vogel demonstrates how Western advocacy and policy have relied on colonial frames to drive change, and how White Saviourism perpetuates structural violence and inequality across global supply and value chains.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197676493
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/01/2022
Series:	African Arguments
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Christoph N. Vogel is an award-winning investigator of conflicts in Central Africa. He is Research Director of the Insecure Livelihoods project at Ghent University, and has worked with the UN. Christoph holds a PhD from the University of Zurich and helped develop the Congo Research Group at New York University.

Table of Contents

Prologue Introduction The Puzzle: (No) Blood in my Mobile The Argument: War, Profit and White Saviourism The Theory: Spaces of Networked Authority The Method: Writing Political Ethnography The Structure: Outline of the Book 1. Violent continuities Colonial Incorporation Mobutu and Zaire The Two Congo Wars Kaleidoscopic Conflicts 2. Genesis of a Digital Paradigm What are 'Conflict Minerals'? A Short History of Mining in Congo Economies in and of War Logics of Violence and Extraction Scientific Misunderstandings 3. A Civilising Mission 2.0? From Advocacy to Laws From Laws to Policies From Policies to Practice From War to Peace? Interlude: Godfathers’ tales 4. Ethical Monopolies The Making of a Monopoly The Local Impact of Conflict-Free Minerals Corporate Violence replaces Military Violence Reform versus Development The Problem of Unilateral Ethics 5. Brokers and Patrons Brokering Mineral Wealth The Meaning of Crisis Living Mysteriously: Everyday Uncertainty in the Mines The Evolution of Patronage in Congolese Politics Patronage and Conflict Minerals Another Lease on Life: The Incontournables 6. Conflicted Certification Conflict without Certification Contested Statehood in Eastern Congo Regulating Access to Mineral Markets Ethical Profits? The Case of iTSCi Legitimate Extortion? The Case of Armed Groups 7. Peace, Ethics and the Congo Debunking Tropes Broken Promises of Ethical Sourcing Better Policies for Better Lives? Epilogue Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"Excellent ... Vogel is uncompromising in his portrait of the [International Tin Supply Chain Initiative]."— The New York Review of Books

"An unflinching examination of how even the best intentions can lead to perverse outcomes. A devastating critique of 'white saviorism', Vogel provides a necessary and grounded obituary for a dead paradigm. Lucid, compassionate, and personal, a must-read for those interested in Africa's forever war." — Zachariah Mampilly, Marxe Endowed Chair of International Affairs, City University of New York, and co-editor of Rebel Governance in Civil Wars

"Combining field research and political critique, this remarkable study challenges the conventional wisdom that natural resources cause wars and offers a powerful critique of (neo)colonial and Orientalist framings of wars." — Marielle Debos, Associate Professor in Political Science, University of Paris Nanterre, and author of Living by the Gun in Chad: Combatants, Impunity and State Formation

"Vogel's meticulous research centers on the Congolese people targeted by conflict minerals policy, revealing not just the often-tragic outcomes of mineral activism but also how and why effects have been so different from intentions. Devastating and essential reading." — Louisa Lombard, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Yale University, and author of State of Rebellion: Violence and Intervention in the Central African Republic

"An in-depth study of war and natural resources in the DRC by an expert with deep roots in the field. Highly sensitive to political and epistemological developments on the African continent, Vogel deconstructs outdated Eurocentric frameworks of thought about the relationship between war, natural resources and life in the post-colony." — Aymar Nyenyezi Bisoka, Professor, University of Mons, and co-author of Field Research in Africa: The Ethics of Researcher Vulnerabilities

From the Publisher