This book offers a broad range of perspectives on major transformations in the research of labor in Africa contexts over the last twenty years. This is a groundbreaking work by social scientists and historians; adopting innovative paradigms in the study of African laborers, working classes and economies, it moves away from stringent Marxist perspectives towards more localized and fluid conceptions of materiality and productivity. Against the backdrop of increasing mobility of labor and capital, the authors demonstrate the need for a simultaneous consideration of local, national and transnational contexts. The collection of essays provides multiple perspectives on how African workers have negotiated changes and exploited opportunities in increasingly globalized workplaces, while at the same time confronting the impact of global capitalist expansion on local settings in Africa.

This book was previously published as a Special Issue of African Identities.