The Story of an African Working Class: Ghanaian Miners' Struggles 1870-1980

Vividly telling the story of Ghana’s gold miners, one of the oldest and most militant groups of workers in Africa, Jeff Crisp details the workers’ struggle against exploitative mining companies, repressive governments, and authoritarian trade union leaders.
 
Drawing on a wide range of original sources, including previously secret government and company records, Crisp explores the changing nature of life and work in the gold mines from the colonial era through the 1980s, and he examines the distinctive forms of political consciousness and organization that the miners developed in response to their conditions. He also provides a detailed account of the changing techniques of labor control employed by mining capital and the state, and shows how they failed to curb the workers' solidarity and tradition of militant resistance.  Combining lively historical narrative with original analysis, this book remains a unique contribution to the history of Africa and its working class.