Informality and Collective Organising: identities, alliances and transnational activism in Africa

Abstract:
This article draws upon case studies from several African countries, examining the formation of collective identities and political subjectivities by informal actors. Furthermore, it analyses how these relate to attempts of building alliances between informal workers‟ organisations and trade unions and other actors on national and transnational scales. The author argues that the informal economy should be seen as comprising of a multiplicity of class relations and multiple fields of power. Collective identities of actors in the informal economy should then not be taken for granted, but should be seen as constructed and negotiated. Moreover, this has consequences for how we understand alliances between „informals‟ and for example trade unions. The article also draws upon an analysis of scalar complexity in the politics of informal economy, arguing that informal actors are no longer confined to the local in their organising and alliance building, but may also choose to focus on building international networks and alliances.