Garbage Citizenship: Vital Infrastructures of Labor in Dakar, Senegal

217 Pages·2018·4.893 MB·English

by  Rosalind Fredericks

GARBAGE CITIZENSHIP

rosalind fredericks
GARBAGE CITIZENSHIP
Vital Infrastructures of Labor in Dakar, Senegal
Duke University Press Durham and London 2018
© 2018 Duke University Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America on acid- free paper ∞
Designed by Courtney Leigh Baker
Typeset in Whitman and Knockout by Copperline Books
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Fredericks, Rosalind, author.
Title: Garbage citizenship : vital infrastructures of labor
in Dakar, Senegal / Rosalind Fredericks.
Description: Durham : Duke University Press, 2018. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: lccn 2018007283 (print) | lccn 2018008409 (ebook)
isbn 9781478002505 (ebook)
isbn 9781478000990 (hardcover : alk. paper)
isbn 9781478001416 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: lcsh: Political participation — Senegal — Dakar. |
Labor — Senegal — Dakar. | Working poor — Political activity —
Senegal — Dakar. | Refuse collection — Senegal — Dakar.
Classification: lcc jq3396.a91 (ebook) |
lcc jq3396.a91 f74 2018 (print)
ddc 322/.209663 — dc23
lc record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018007283
cover art: A trash worker in Niari Tali. 2007.
Photo courtesy of the author.
for mom for your grit and generosity
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contents
Acknowledgments ix
introduction. Trash Matters 1
one. Governing Disposability 27
two. Vital Infrastructures of Labor 60
three. Technologies of Community 97
four. The Piety of Refusal 123
conclusion. Garbage Citizenship 149
Notes 155 References 171 Index 193
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acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the support, inspiration,
collaboration, and critique of many people. I am deeply indebted to the peo-
ple in Dakar who so graciously opened their homes and entrusted me with
their stories. I would particularly like to thank Madany Sy and his colleagues
for welcoming me with open arms into the affairs of the main trash work-
ers union — le Syndicat National des travailleurs du nettoiement (National
Cleaning Workers Union; sntn) — and for introducing me to many of the
union’s leaders and delegates. I am also grateful to the leaders of the other
trash unions in Dakar for their candid feedback. I am beholden to all of the
trash workers who generously shared their personal histories and opinions,
but especially to the sweepers and collectors of Niari Tali, Yoff, Grand Yoff,
and Parcelles Assainies. I am equally indebted to the residents of hlm Fass
and Tonghor who invited me into their homes and allowed me to ask difficult
questions. In hlm Fass, my work would never have been possible without
the time and energy of Said Gning and his family. In Tonghor, Seynabou
Ndir introduced me to the neighborhood and facilitated the smooth running
of my interviews. I would like to thank all of the other residents who let me
interrupt their busy days, offered me food and drink, and allowed me to pry
into some sticky and delicate matters.
A number of people from institutions and government agencies across
Dakar helped me to piece together and document the history of trash poli-
tics. Oumar Cissé of l’Institute Africaine de gestion urbane (African Insti-
tute for Urban Management; iagu) shared with me his trove of documents