A decade ago no one except geologists had heard of tantalum or
'coltan' - an obscure mineral that is an essential ingredient in
mobile phones and laptops. Then, in 2000, reports began to leak out
of Congo: of mines deep in the jungle where coltan was extracted in
brutal conditions watched over by warlords. The United Nations sent
a team to investigate, and its expose of the relationship between
violence and the exploitation of coltan and other natural resources
contributed to a re-examination of scholarship on the motivations
and strategies of armed groups.
The politics of coltan encompass rebel militias, transnational
corporations, determined activists, Hollywood celebrities, the rise
of China, and the latest iGadget. Drawing on Congolese and activist
voices, Nest analyses the two issues that define coltan politics:
the relationship between coltan and violence in the Congo, and
contestation between activists and corporations to reshape the
global tantalum supply chain. The way production and trade of
coltan is organised creates opportunities for armed groups, but the
Congo wars are not solely, or even primarily, about coltan or
minerals generally. Nest argues the political significance of
coltan lies not in its causal link to violence, but in activists'
skillful use of mobile phones as a symbol of how ordinary people
and transnational corporations far from Africa are implicated in
Congo's coltan industry and therefore its conflict. Nest examines
the challenges coltan initiatives face in an activist 'marketplace'
crowded with competing justice issues, and identifies lessons from
coltan initiatives for the geopolitics of global resources more
generally.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
