Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2025

The movement industry and the storage industry : From the informal to the Popular economy.

Résumé

The idea that the economies of the South are characterised by a large so-called "informal" sector continues to dominate the press, including the business press. It can also be found in the specialist literature, especially when it comes from the large transnational organisations. The term undoubtedly allows for some very dubious associations, as is always the case when a reality is labelled negatively by what it is not (yes, informal means that it has no form, and here a reality is labelled by an absence). The term informal economy was coined in the 1970s to refer to the economies of countries in the South, but the epistemological debate has rather faded since the 1990s. As a result, there is a widening gap between empirical studies and their theoretical underpinnings. The diversity and heterogeneity of the content covered by the term informal economy is now so great that this semantic category can no longer function as a concept. The use of the concept of the popular economy goes back to a series of intertwined theoretical traditions: the discussion of the subaltern sector (Gramsci), the historiography of labour (Marx…) and sociology (anthropology) from below, which evaluates the practises and resistance of popular sectors. The tradition of subaltern and postcolonial studies has deepened these discussions from the margins, which in the case of Latin America has been reflected since the 1990s in the development of the concept of popular economy as a means of raising awareness of political alternatives on the continent. It was during our surveys in South America (Mexico, Central America and South America), and our confrontation with Latin American colleagues, that the concept of popular economy appeared to us as more operative and necessary to describe economic activities which are neither informal nor totally illegal, but forged by experiences of creating income-generating economic activities and which are implemented by the populations without, however, being fully declared to the authorities. In this presentation, we will attempt to move back and forth between categories and data, highlighting the different meanings of the activities observed in the logistics sector, particularly intermediary activities. Based on surveys carried out in the logistics sector, we will focus our analysis on these actors/intermediaries who, at the heart of warehouse capitalism, are sometimes wholesalers, brokers, traders, importers and exporters, transporters or logisticians. They are involved at different stages in the supply chain and are responsible for storing, transporting and distributing goods in specific geographical areas. They are often key players in facilitating trade and the movement of goods across borders and through special economic zones such as free trade zones.

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Dates et versions

halshs-05184131 , version 1 (24-07-2025)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : halshs-05184131 , version 1

Citer

Delphine Mercier. The movement industry and the storage industry : From the informal to the Popular economy.. Knowing Justice in the Anthropocene., International Sociological Association - RC30 Sociology of Work, Jul 2025, Rabat, Morocco. ⟨halshs-05184131⟩
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