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Database research record2022·Congo (Kinshasa)

Wage Labor and Social Inequality in Kinshasa’s Informal Economy: A Class Analysis

Héritier Mesa

Cahiers d études africaines

Urban Farm DB summary

This article explores social trajectories and inequality dynamics among informal workers in Kinshasa, focusing on labor relations within the informal economy. Drawing from ethnographic data on street bread, second-hand clothing, and urban agriculture, the study finds that limited access to capital constrains many workers to sell their labor power with weakened bargaining power, revealing unequal social positionalities.