Generalized semi-proletarianization in Africa

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the contemporary social formation of Africa. The specific focus is the transformation of the world of work in the neoliberal period, a subject already widely discussed in research on the rural exodus, the new value chains and the informalization of work. The question that guides this work is whether there is a qualitative change in the contemporary African social formation in the neoliberal period. The hypothesis is that there is a tendency towards convergence in the patterns of accumulation in the macro-regions of the continent and the growth of labor reserves in all these regions. Thus, it is argued that the question of labor in Africa has undergone a decisive transformation under neoliberalism. While under colonial rule the formation of labor reserves was mainly the result of political engineering, especially in regions of European settlement, today reserves are driven by the spontaneous operation of monopoly capitalism, becoming coextensive with the continent. This transition in the world of work is the most basic element of the trend towards convergence. Today there is a generalized condition of semi-proletarianization insofar as the bulk of the population is unable to satisfy basic needs neither within the wage relation or outside of it. Data from the ILO are used to qualify some of these trends, including their gender dimensions.