Marie Godin

Child labour, agency and family dynamics: The case of mining in Katanga (DRC)

In the last three decades, the development of the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector has been increasing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), bringing more and more urban families into this flourishing business sector, and among them, children. This article aims to look at the often unconceivable, and as a result neglected, social agency of children even when they are involved in activities which are, in the international legislation on children’s rights, categorized as one of the worst forms of child labour. To do so, it relies on the results of a socio-anthropological collective research project on children’s mining activities which was carried out in a small locality called La Ruashi in the city of Lubumbashi (Province of Katanga). The article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of these child mining-related activities by looking at different spheres of social relations within which children are embedded. Examining the set of social relations that children have with their families, the broader community and their ‘peers’, several ‘family portraits’ are offered, highlighting a heterogeneity of social interpretations regarding this form of child work. It is shown that for families from a middle-class background, this kind of work is often socially disruptive, at the forefront of intergenerational conflict. As for families from lower classes, social changes induced by children’s mining activities are often better incorporated into the family habitus. Common dynamics, encountered in all families irrespective of class belonging, is also portrayed.

‘Saving the Congo’: transnational social fields and politics of home in the Congolese diaspora

Abstract This paper explores the diasporic ‘politics of home’ of Congolese migrants in Europe, in particular in the UK, and to a lesser extent in Belgium. We focus on the fragmentation and heterogeneity of the diasporic political sphere by examining the role of first generation activists, religious groups, as well as youth and womens organisations. Within the transnational political field, first generation leaders are in a dominant position and the involvement of other groups, such as women and young people is marginalised by their control of the diasporic ‘rules of the game’ in the Bourdieusan sense. However, the increasing involvement of Congolese women in the field of womens rights advocacy has opened up new paths of political action which can, in certain occasions, lead to transnational forms of engagement. Similarly, second generation Congolese activists are constructing a space of autonomous engagement, relying heavily on the Internet and especially on social media, some attempting to link up with wider social movements. The paper provides an understanding of the social and political construction of these different fields of diasporic engagement as well as their intersectional and dialogical relations.

Breaking the silences, breaking the frames: a gendered diasporic analysis of sexual violence in the DRC

ABSTRACT The role of diasporas in fuelling conflict has been extensively studied, with much less attention being paid to their role in peace-building. It is increasingly recognised that diasporas from conflict regions are contributing to the reconstruction of their countries of origin, acting as ‘peace-makers’ rather than ‘peace-wreckers’. Women and men migrants have also been found to engage differently towards their country of origin, but attention to women’s activism is still scarce. This article addresses the issue of political activism by Congolese women in the diaspora in both the UK and Belgium. Their activities are assessed analytically through the prism of ‘mechanisms of framing’, which shape the ways in which messages are conveyed during the mobilisation process. The paper discusses diagnostic, motivational and prognostic frames to address sexual and gender-based violence against Congolese women in the protracted conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Framing strategies vary among Congolese diaspora women’s groups depending on the national context in which they are embedded (Belgium and the UK) but a variety of narratives is also discerned which transcends and is shared among Congolese women beyond national borders.

Theatre and Photography as New Contentious Repertoires of Congolese Women in the Diaspora: Towards Another Politics of Representation of Rape

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and in particular the eastern part of the country, is characterized by a protracted conflict situation and is home to some of the world’s most horrific documented cases of sexual violence against women. For many years now Congolese women in the diaspora have been engaged in initiatives to raise awareness of the sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) of Congolese women back home, addressing the root causes of the conflict and promoting specific peace and conflict resolutions. This article examines ways of protesting using art as a political tool in addressing SGBV in the DRC. In doing so, it highlights two politico-artistic projects by Congolese women activists living in Belgium: Hearth of a mother, a theatre piece and Stand up my mother, a photographic exhibition. This article aims to analyse these particular projects in terms of Tilly’s ‘repertoires of contention’ (2006) as used by activists of the Congolese diaspora in order to make their voices heard.

Gender and Latin American Migration to Belgium

Introduction Christiane Timmerman, Marco Martiniello, Andrea Rea and Johan Wets 1. Gender Sensitive Migration Research: Theory, Concepts and Methods Rilke Mahieu, Christiane Timmerman and Petra Heyse 2. Female Migration into Belgium Lieselot Vanduynslager and Johan Wets 3. Migrant Women in the Labor Market Andre Rea 4. The Migration Trajectories of Russian and Ukrainian Women in Belgium Petra Heyse, Rilke Mahieu and Christiane Timmerman 5. Female Filipino Migrants in Belgium: A Qualitative Analysis of Trends and Practices Fernando Pauwels 6. Gender and Latin American Migration to Belgium Marie Godin, Any Freitas and Andrea Rea 7. Migration of Romanian Women to Belgium: Strategies and Dynamics of the Migration Process Alice Poncelet and Marco Martiniello 8. The Migration of Nigerian Women to Belgium: Qualitative Analysis of Trends and Dynamics Fatima Zibouh and Marco Martiniello 9. Explaining Female Migration and Integration Patterns: A Transversal Analysis Any Freitas, Marie Godin, Petra Heyse, Fernando Pauwels, Alice Poncelet, Fatima Zibouh, Athanasia Mbah-Fongkimeh, Christiane Timmerman, Marco Martiniello, Andrea Rea and Johan Wets Conclusion Christiane Timmerman, Marco Martiniello, Andrea Rea and Johan Wets

« Le Kivu, c’est notre Alsace-Lorraine, monsieur ! » : Femmes d’origine congolaise dans l’espace public belge et contraintes de la dénonciation en situation postcoloniale

Resume A partir d’une situation d’interpellation parlementaire mettant en scene une tribune de femmes d’origine congolaise denoncant la situation de guerre et de violence sevissant a l’Est du Congo, cet article se penche sur la presence croissante de femmes d’origine congolaise dans l’espace public belge. Tout d’abord, l’article met en relation l’histoire de l’evolution des rapports sociaux de sexe au Congo et la socialisation politique de certaines femmes d’origine congolaise dans l’espace public belge a travers notamment le developpement d’un tissu associatif congolais particulierement feminise. Ensuite, le cadre dans lequel la denonciation faite par les femmes prend place est analyse par le biais d’un outillage theorique innovant, articulant des concepts de la sociologie pragmatique (Boltanski et al. 1984; Boltanski et al. 2007) et de la theorie des mouvements sociaux (Snow et al. 1986). L’analyse montre que les rapports postcoloniaux belges peuvent donner lieu, dans l’espace public, a des situations d’interaction paradoxales ou l’histoire coloniale, alors qu’elle sous-tend l’ensemble des echanges, doit etre gardee sous silence sous peine de grever la legitimite et la coherence de la prise de parole en public. Cette strategie d’evitement du cadre postcolonial permet aux femmes de faire entendre leurs voix.

Explaining female migration and integration patterns: A transversal analysis

Introduction Christiane Timmerman, Marco Martiniello, Andrea Rea and Johan Wets 1. Gender Sensitive Migration Research: Theory, Concepts and Methods Rilke Mahieu, Christiane Timmerman and Petra Heyse 2. Female Migration into Belgium Lieselot Vanduynslager and Johan Wets 3. Migrant Women in the Labor Market Andre Rea 4. The Migration Trajectories of Russian and Ukrainian Women in Belgium Petra Heyse, Rilke Mahieu and Christiane Timmerman 5. Female Filipino Migrants in Belgium: A Qualitative Analysis of Trends and Practices Fernando Pauwels 6. Gender and Latin American Migration to Belgium Marie Godin, Any Freitas and Andrea Rea 7. Migration of Romanian Women to Belgium: Strategies and Dynamics of the Migration Process Alice Poncelet and Marco Martiniello 8. The Migration of Nigerian Women to Belgium: Qualitative Analysis of Trends and Dynamics Fatima Zibouh and Marco Martiniello 9. Explaining Female Migration and Integration Patterns: A Transversal Analysis Any Freitas, Marie Godin, Petra Heyse, Fernando Pauwels, Alice Poncelet, Fatima Zibouh, Athanasia Mbah-Fongkimeh, Christiane Timmerman, Marco Martiniello, Andrea Rea and Johan Wets Conclusion Christiane Timmerman, Marco Martiniello, Andrea Rea and Johan Wets