
Tanzania's Informal Economy
The Micro-politics of Street Vending
Alexis Malefakis(Author)
Zed Books Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 15. April 2019
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-78699-450-9 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paper over boards
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
373 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78699-450-9 (9781786994509)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2019
1st Edition
Zed Books Ltd
€36.49
Available for download
Person
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.
Content
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
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