In this latest contribution to the Capitalism in Africa debate series, Benjamin Rubbers presents the main ideas of the recently published book Inside Mining Capitalism: The Micropolitics of Work on the Congolese and Zambian Copperbelts. The book chapters examine how labour practices have been mediated, negotiated, or resisted by mineworkers, unionists, and human resources managers. This exploration into the micropolitics of work allows not only to highlight variations among mining projects, but also to understand the social dynamics they contribute to generate in new ways.

In the editorial for the current issue of ROAPE, Elisa Greco writes on the surge in the price of food and role of speculation on food markets, and how this is impacting the lives of the poor across Africa and the world. These trends in global political economy have had a direct and dramatic impact on the course of events in Sudan since 2019. Greco unpicks the consequences of global shocks on Sudanese politics, the recent war and resistance.