Duncan Money
@mininghistory.bsky.social
Historian and consultant. I work on mining, labour, migration and Southern Africa.
More on https://duncan.money
Contact: duncanmoneyhistory@proton.me
More on https://duncan.money
Contact: duncanmoneyhistory@proton.me
This includes our short article on the use of Trove by Africanist historians:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
February 3, 2026 at 8:16 AM
This includes our short article on the use of Trove by Africanist historians:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Duncan Money
Feels like there's some fundamental disconnect when you have to verify you're human to access the websites of academic publishers advertising their 'AI assisted' search functions.
February 2, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Feels like there's some fundamental disconnect when you have to verify you're human to access the websites of academic publishers advertising their 'AI assisted' search functions.
Reposted by Duncan Money
It's almost impossible to describe the ethnic mosaic that was pre-colonial Africa
On this small island, barely 40 miles long, there were at least six different ethnic groups!
and this number only includes those we know from the written sources
On this small island, barely 40 miles long, there were at least six different ethnic groups!
and this number only includes those we know from the written sources
February 2, 2026 at 3:08 PM
It's almost impossible to describe the ethnic mosaic that was pre-colonial Africa
On this small island, barely 40 miles long, there were at least six different ethnic groups!
and this number only includes those we know from the written sources
On this small island, barely 40 miles long, there were at least six different ethnic groups!
and this number only includes those we know from the written sources
My sincere hope is that he has been selling metals that turned out to be painted rocks.
It’s not a real metals scandal if it doesn’t involve a fugitive Chinese trader known as « The Hat »
February 2, 2026 at 7:46 AM
My sincere hope is that he has been selling metals that turned out to be painted rocks.
Reposted by Duncan Money
It’s not a real metals scandal if it doesn’t involve a fugitive Chinese trader known as « The Hat »
February 2, 2026 at 6:40 AM
It’s not a real metals scandal if it doesn’t involve a fugitive Chinese trader known as « The Hat »
Reposted by Duncan Money
This freedom was often secured by the disposession of others. When miners' leader Alexander McDonald addressed a party of Scottish miners departing for the US in 1865 he urged them to take land:
"Here you are landless forever. There it is not so."
"Here you are landless forever. There it is not so."
January 30, 2026 at 1:42 PM
This freedom was often secured by the disposession of others. When miners' leader Alexander McDonald addressed a party of Scottish miners departing for the US in 1865 he urged them to take land:
"Here you are landless forever. There it is not so."
"Here you are landless forever. There it is not so."
In the 1860s, miners' unions used to raise money help members emigrate to North America and, later, to Australia.
This was particularly helpful for union members who had been blacklisted by colliery owners for supporting strikes and so reduced the power of blacklisting.
This was particularly helpful for union members who had been blacklisted by colliery owners for supporting strikes and so reduced the power of blacklisting.
January 30, 2026 at 1:22 PM
In the 1860s, miners' unions used to raise money help members emigrate to North America and, later, to Australia.
This was particularly helpful for union members who had been blacklisted by colliery owners for supporting strikes and so reduced the power of blacklisting.
This was particularly helpful for union members who had been blacklisted by colliery owners for supporting strikes and so reduced the power of blacklisting.
The claim below from this article (which is good) caught my eye:
It may be unthinkable in European history but histories of male smiths and metalworkers in Central Africa in the 15th century and earlier are often based on descriptions and images of their activities from around 1900.
It may be unthinkable in European history but histories of male smiths and metalworkers in Central Africa in the 15th century and earlier are often based on descriptions and images of their activities from around 1900.
January 29, 2026 at 12:29 PM
The claim below from this article (which is good) caught my eye:
It may be unthinkable in European history but histories of male smiths and metalworkers in Central Africa in the 15th century and earlier are often based on descriptions and images of their activities from around 1900.
It may be unthinkable in European history but histories of male smiths and metalworkers in Central Africa in the 15th century and earlier are often based on descriptions and images of their activities from around 1900.
Reposted by Duncan Money
Today's @artukdotorg.bsky.social #OnlineArtExchange theme is Light & Dark. We have chosen Two Miners Drilling by Graham Sutherland, sketched in a Welsh coalmine (1942) as a War Artist. Ink & red crayon heighten the miners’ monumental forms and the rock’s looming threat.
January 29, 2026 at 10:40 AM
Today's @artukdotorg.bsky.social #OnlineArtExchange theme is Light & Dark. We have chosen Two Miners Drilling by Graham Sutherland, sketched in a Welsh coalmine (1942) as a War Artist. Ink & red crayon heighten the miners’ monumental forms and the rock’s looming threat.
Reposted by Duncan Money
“Slavery’s Long Goodbye” (@livunipress.bsky.social). This is a story that also takes in #SierraLeone , #Swansea in South Wales, and #Argentina
January 28, 2026 at 11:16 AM
“Slavery’s Long Goodbye” (@livunipress.bsky.social). This is a story that also takes in #SierraLeone , #Swansea in South Wales, and #Argentina
Trade unions in Zambia have secured a 10% pay rise plus a new Christmas bonus for gemstone miners.
Miners' unions have not been able to win increases like this for many years in Zambia, so this is an interesting development.
copperbeltkatangamining.com/kagem-mining...
Miners' unions have not been able to win increases like this for many years in Zambia, so this is an interesting development.
copperbeltkatangamining.com/kagem-mining...
Kagem Mining Agrees to 10% Pay Rise for Unionised Workers Under New Collective Agreement - Copperbelt Katanga Mining
Kagem Mining Secures 2026/27 Collective Agreement with 10% Salary Increases and 13th Cheque
copperbeltkatangamining.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:21 AM
Trade unions in Zambia have secured a 10% pay rise plus a new Christmas bonus for gemstone miners.
Miners' unions have not been able to win increases like this for many years in Zambia, so this is an interesting development.
copperbeltkatangamining.com/kagem-mining...
Miners' unions have not been able to win increases like this for many years in Zambia, so this is an interesting development.
copperbeltkatangamining.com/kagem-mining...
Reposted by Duncan Money
Just noting again, I will never, ever, under any circumstance, NOT share an Ea-Nasir joke.
January 28, 2026 at 5:19 AM
Just noting again, I will never, ever, under any circumstance, NOT share an Ea-Nasir joke.
Reposted by Duncan Money
I wrote something for the British Academy blog and then completely forgot to post a link. This draws on a case study from my book Vanished about the foundation of national parks. If you want to know more, there’s a rather large discount on some sites. 🐯
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/what-ca...
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/what-ca...
What can histories of Empire teach us about modern environmental efforts?
Professor Sadiah Qureshi, author of 'Vanished: An Unnatural History of Extinction' (2025), explores the current biodiversity crisis by examining it through the historical lens of Empire.
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
January 27, 2026 at 9:09 PM
I wrote something for the British Academy blog and then completely forgot to post a link. This draws on a case study from my book Vanished about the foundation of national parks. If you want to know more, there’s a rather large discount on some sites. 🐯
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/what-ca...
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/what-ca...
Docked in Walvis Bay, Namibia.
January 27, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Docked in Walvis Bay, Namibia.
Reposted by Duncan Money
The Society for the Study of Labour History offers #bursaries for up to £900 for PhD students, post-graduate researchers (MA and doctoral) and independent scholars engaged in postgraduate-level research in the field of labour history
sslh.org.uk/bursaries-gr...
sslh.org.uk/bursaries-gr...
Bursaries
The Society for the Study of Labour History offers financial support to PhD students, post-graduate researchers and independent scholars engaged in postgraduate-level research, as well as to BA and…
sslh.org.uk
January 27, 2026 at 4:59 PM
The Society for the Study of Labour History offers #bursaries for up to £900 for PhD students, post-graduate researchers (MA and doctoral) and independent scholars engaged in postgraduate-level research in the field of labour history
sslh.org.uk/bursaries-gr...
sslh.org.uk/bursaries-gr...
Reposted by Duncan Money
An excellent new resource from @uoscollections.bsky.social!
We're looking forward to exploring the catalogue and developing links between the Arthur Scargill Archive and the archives of the National Union of Mineworkers archives (full NUM catalogue available in the next couple of months!)
We're looking forward to exploring the catalogue and developing links between the Arthur Scargill Archive and the archives of the National Union of Mineworkers archives (full NUM catalogue available in the next couple of months!)
🚨NEWLY CATALOGUED COLLECTION🚨
We are delighted to announce that after a 2-year project, the Arthur Scargill Archive is now available for research in our public reading room!🎉
More info➡️ tinyurl.com/cz3s5dxk
Browse the catalogue➡️ tinyurl.com/vn4xvdd6
@mrcwarwick.bsky.social @sslh.bsky.social
We are delighted to announce that after a 2-year project, the Arthur Scargill Archive is now available for research in our public reading room!🎉
More info➡️ tinyurl.com/cz3s5dxk
Browse the catalogue➡️ tinyurl.com/vn4xvdd6
@mrcwarwick.bsky.social @sslh.bsky.social
The Arthur Scargill Archive
Following a two year cataloguing project the Library is pleased to announced that the Arthur Scargill Archive is now open to all researchers.
tinyurl.com
January 27, 2026 at 3:53 PM
An excellent new resource from @uoscollections.bsky.social!
We're looking forward to exploring the catalogue and developing links between the Arthur Scargill Archive and the archives of the National Union of Mineworkers archives (full NUM catalogue available in the next couple of months!)
We're looking forward to exploring the catalogue and developing links between the Arthur Scargill Archive and the archives of the National Union of Mineworkers archives (full NUM catalogue available in the next couple of months!)
I re-read 'The Chinese Question' and I think the argument that the politics of Chinese exclusion were spread/linked by the gold rushes is too Anglophone.
Several countries in Latin America - none of which had a gold rush - also restricted Chinese migration.
Several countries in Latin America - none of which had a gold rush - also restricted Chinese migration.
Mae Ngai talks about this historical stereotype at length in her great book on Chinese miners at goldfields of California, Australia, and South Africa:
wwnorton.com/books/978039...
wwnorton.com/books/978039...
The Chinese Question
Winner of the 2022 Bancroft Prize<br />Shortlisted for the 2022 Cundill History Prize<br />Finalist for the 2022 Los Angeles Times Book Prize<br /><br />How Chinese migration to the world’s gold...
wwnorton.com
January 26, 2026 at 12:27 PM
I re-read 'The Chinese Question' and I think the argument that the politics of Chinese exclusion were spread/linked by the gold rushes is too Anglophone.
Several countries in Latin America - none of which had a gold rush - also restricted Chinese migration.
Several countries in Latin America - none of which had a gold rush - also restricted Chinese migration.
Reposted by Duncan Money
Excellent review of The Second Emancipation in The Continent, by @hararereview.com.
January 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Excellent review of The Second Emancipation in The Continent, by @hararereview.com.
Went to a talk about art fraud and was a bit disappointed that it was a repeat from last year's voyage before remembering that I'm also a speaker giving the same talks I did last year.
January 25, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Went to a talk about art fraud and was a bit disappointed that it was a repeat from last year's voyage before remembering that I'm also a speaker giving the same talks I did last year.
I spoke to @theglobeandmail.com for this story about the price people in Zambia pay for the current copper boom:
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
The copper boom in Zambia comes with a toxic price
As spills spoil crops and development forces people to move, Canadian- and Chinese-owned mines leave challenges for the future
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 24, 2026 at 12:40 PM
I spoke to @theglobeandmail.com for this story about the price people in Zambia pay for the current copper boom:
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
Reposted by Duncan Money
Companies that own mining licences in Malawi are legally required to seek approval from the mining ministry for any change of ownership, a law common across Africa so governments can protect national assets. This approval wasn’t sought in the share transactions relating to Mawei Mining Company Ltd.
Pass the parcel: A game of corporate shellacking
How proxies of the Chinese state gained control of a strategic rare-earths mining licence in Malawi, but left the land to rot.
continent.substack.com
January 24, 2026 at 8:28 AM
Companies that own mining licences in Malawi are legally required to seek approval from the mining ministry for any change of ownership, a law common across Africa so governments can protect national assets. This approval wasn’t sought in the share transactions relating to Mawei Mining Company Ltd.
Reposted by Duncan Money
What are your favorite African classics in translation?
January 22, 2026 at 5:09 AM
What are your favorite African classics in translation?
Reposted by Duncan Money
All Protocol Observed
Welcome to Issue 225 of The Continent
Superpowers don’t only control African minerals with loans, bribes and threats. Sometimes it’s through financial sleight of hand, as is the case of a Malawian mining licence granted in 2017.
bit.ly/225_TC
Welcome to Issue 225 of The Continent
Superpowers don’t only control African minerals with loans, bribes and threats. Sometimes it’s through financial sleight of hand, as is the case of a Malawian mining licence granted in 2017.
bit.ly/225_TC
January 23, 2026 at 8:13 PM
All Protocol Observed
Welcome to Issue 225 of The Continent
Superpowers don’t only control African minerals with loans, bribes and threats. Sometimes it’s through financial sleight of hand, as is the case of a Malawian mining licence granted in 2017.
bit.ly/225_TC
Welcome to Issue 225 of The Continent
Superpowers don’t only control African minerals with loans, bribes and threats. Sometimes it’s through financial sleight of hand, as is the case of a Malawian mining licence granted in 2017.
bit.ly/225_TC
Reposted by Duncan Money
In 2021(?!) @dranastevenson.bsky.social and I launched the Womandla! Seminar Series. Kundai, Ana, and I then worked to turn it into a SI for @thirdworldq.bsky.social. It is dedicated to our comrades and dear colleagues, Dr Ivo Mhike and Dr Nadine Lake who are both loved and missed.
January 23, 2026 at 8:27 AM
In 2021(?!) @dranastevenson.bsky.social and I launched the Womandla! Seminar Series. Kundai, Ana, and I then worked to turn it into a SI for @thirdworldq.bsky.social. It is dedicated to our comrades and dear colleagues, Dr Ivo Mhike and Dr Nadine Lake who are both loved and missed.