Rearticulating Work: Entrepreneurship and Work-based Identity in Contemporary CongoBrazzaville
Date of Award
Spring 2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Siu, Helen
Abstract
This dissertation ethnographically describes the working lives of entrepreneurs in contem-porary Congo-Brazzaville and analyzes how they use their entrepreneurial activities to build work-based identities. Drawing on 20 months of fieldwork in Congo, mainly in Brazzaville, I propose the concept of “rearticulating work” to capture the social significance of Congolese entrepreneurs’ work activities. Corresponding to the two meanings of the word “rearticulate,” the concept refers to two aspects of the entrepreneurs’ work: first, the entrepreneurs work to reconnect themselves with other people and place themselves into larger social structures, such as the state; second, the entrepreneurs re-express their work in new terms and forms. These forms might be business plans, pitching decks, and presenta-tions. I argue that during economic downturns and prevalent unemployment, which Congo has undergone in recent years, entrepreneurship is a way to rearticulate work and build up a work-based identity for many Congolese people. This dissertation joins the current conver-sation on the future of work by revealing that entrepreneurial work is a space for people to expand their social and cultural lives, especially in societies where stable and salaried jobs are scarce. It also contributes to the study of entrepreneurship by showing the importance of looking at the process of entrepreneurial work. It is in the process of work that Congolese entrepreneurs construct their social networks, whereas the products of their work might be far from being marketized. Moreover, this dissertation reflects on the informal economy by revealing how entrepreneurial discourses and programs have reshaped the forms and mean-ings of some informal economic activities. Thus, it is crucial to examine the connections between the informal economy and the latest global changes in work.Chapter 1 sets up the discussion both empirically and theoretically. It briefly presents the situation of contemporary Congo and reviews key literature on work and identity, en-trepreneurship, and the informal economy. The main body of the dissertation is grouped into three parts, each having two chapters. The first part, comprising Chapters 2 and 3, po-sitions my interlocutors temporally and spatially. Chapter 2 traces a history of work in Con-go and argues that colonialism, socialism, and the tumultuous post-socialist transition im-pinge on contemporary Congolese entrepreneurs’ work. Chapter 3 maps out the physical and discursive spaces of entrepreneurial activities. It argues that these spaces facilitate the formation of identity as an entrepreneur. The second part, comprising Chapters 4 and 5, describes my interlocutors’ work activities. Chapter 4 proposes the concept of “patch-work” to capture the fact that Congolese entrepreneurs work on multiple projects, which bring in different economic returns and carry different moral values. Chapter 5 proposes the concept of “labor potlatch” to show the link between entrepreneurial work in contemporary societies and potlatch in more traditional ones: they both involve overspending certain re-sources, establishing fame, and a festival atmosphere. The third part, comprising Chapters 6 and 7, discusses how entrepreneurs relate their work to broader structures, such as the state and Africa. Chapter 6 develops the concept of “macroeconomic subjectivity” to show how entrepreneurs use macroeconomic categories to express the significance of their work and connect in the struggle with the state. Chapter 7 analyzes entrepreneurial texts—pitch decks, business plans, and so on—and entrepreneurs’ performance of them and argues that entrepreneurs use these texts to construct a sense of certainty in their projects in the uncer-tain world. Chapter 8, the concluding chapter, shows the broader relevance of the concepts proposed in the dissertation by using them to analyze platform work. It also discusses future work that could further the study of this dissertation.
Recommended Citation
Ning, Rundong, "Rearticulating Work: Entrepreneurship and Work-based Identity in Contemporary CongoBrazzaville" (2023). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations. 1018.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/gsas_dissertations/1018
