Description
Book SynopsisThomas Hendriks examines the rowdy environment of industrial timber production in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to theorize the social, racial, and gender power dynamics of capitalist extraction.
Trade Review“Offering a rare look at the everyday lives of the people who live in and around Congolese timber labor camps, Thomas Hendriks draws out the continuities and discontinuities of racialized colonial extraction. Artfully written,
Rainforest Capitalism will make a major contribution to theories of capitalism, race, and sexuality.” -- Jessica M. Smith, author of * Mining Coal and Undermining Gender: Rhythms of Work and Family in the American West *
“In this fresh and captivating book, Thomas Hendriks offers precious insights into the precarity of logging in the Congolese rainforest. His lively ethnography demonstrates that the analysis of neoliberal capitalist extraction should address not only labor and political economy but also memory, affect, sexual desire, and racial fetishism. His sophisticated theoretical framework allows him to capture the fleeting character of logging and brings together forestry, anthropology, and queer studies in visionary ways that will inspire many scholars.” -- Peter Geschiere, author of * Witchcraft, Intimacy, and Trust: Africa in Comparison *
"Based on a lengthy period of ethnographic research, this book is a lively, readable account of life in a logging camp, and the author makes a useful, thought-provoking contribution to the literature on power, capitalism, gender, sexuality, and race/racism in anthropology, African studies, and related fields. . . . Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty." -- E. E. Stiles * Choice *
“Thomas Hendriks’ compelling book is an intricate tale of felled trees and their capitalist value, of the inhabitants of logging camps such as Congolese labourers and expat managers, but also of jobseekers, traders, prostitutes, farmers, and smugglers.
Rainforest Capitalism is eloquent and captivating.” -- Rachel Spronk * African Studies Review *
Table of ContentsNote on Anonymity ix
Note on Photography xi
Prologue xv
Acknowledgments xxi
Introduction. Thinking with Loggers 1
1. Awkward Beginnings 29
2. Forest Work 48
3. Remembering Labor 75
4. Sharing the Company 98
5. Out of Here 120
6. A Darker Shade of White 143
7. Cannibals and Corned Beef 161
8. Men and Trees 187
9. Women and Chainsaws 207
Conclusion. Capitalism and Ecstasis 230
Epilogue 249
Notes 253
References 263
Index 285
