Tanzania's Informal Economy

The Micro-politics of Street Vending

Alexis Malefakis (University of Zurich, Switzerland)

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Hardback

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English

Zed Books Ltd
15 April 2019

Development studies; Urban communities; Sociology: work & labour; Social & cultural anthropology; Urban economics

Series: Politics and Society in Urban Africa

The market places and street corners of Dar es Salaam are home to a thriving informal economy of street vendors selling secondhand clothing and other goods. These street vendors often live a precarious existence, under pressure from state authorities and international markets. In addition to these external pressures, the experiences of such vendors are also shaped by a complex interplay of internal tensions, rivalries and conflicting communal ties. Such internal dynamics are a common part of informal economies around the world, but have largely gone unrecognised and unexamined by academic scholarship.

Based on ethnographic fieldwork and extensive interviews with vendors living and working in Dar es Salaam, Malefakis’s book offers a nuanced portrait of those trying to carve out a livelihood in a major African city, one in which ties of kinship and ethnicity are often viewed as a barrier, rather than an aid, to success. In the process, Malefakis provides an invaluable new perspective on the way in which co-operation, or lack thereof, functions in an informal economy, as well as insight into the lived experiences of those who depend on such economies.

By: Alexis Malefakis (University of Zurich Switzerland)
Imprint: Zed Books Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 222mm, Width: 140mm,
Weight: 386g
ISBN: 9781786994509
ISBN 10: 178699450X
Series: Politics and Society in Urban Africa
Pages: 192
Publication Date: 15 April 2019
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction 1. Street Vending in Dar es Salaam 2. Urban Perspectives on Rural Pasts: A Narrative of ‘being Wayao’ in Dar es Salaam 3. The Micro-politics of Sociality among Wayao Street Vendors 4. Too Familiar to Trust: A Paradox of Social Proximity 5. The Creative Potential of Shoe Vending: Practices and Emerging Sociality 6. Carrying Knowledge through the Streets: Old Shoes as Meaningful Objects 7. Sharing is Daring: Cooperation at the Kijiweni 8. Creating a Market where there is none: The Spatial Practices of Street Vending Conclusion: Stuck in an Extended Present

Alexis Malefakis is Africa curator of the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich, Switzerland where he also works as an academic researcher. He previously lectured at the University of Konstanz, Germany. His previous works include Making a Living from Old Shoes: Tanzanian Street Vendors as Urban Experts (2016) and Auto Didaktika: Wire Models from Burundi (2017), both of which are based on exhibitions he curated at the museum.