We're delighted to welcome Jabulani Shaba to the SHOC research group as a postdoc researcher at VUB!
Jabulani's work explores the intersections of resource extraction, political ecology, gender and environmental history. His PhD, completed at Stellenbosch University in 2024, examined changing gendered labour relations and the socio-environmental histories of women involved in artisanal gold mining in Zimbabwe.
Having conducted archival and ethnographic research in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia and Nigeria, Jabulani brings extensive expertise on the histories and politics of gold, copper and oil extraction. Prior to joining SHOC, he was a postdoctoral researcher on the ERC-funded AFREXTRACT project at the University of Groningen.
At VUB, Jabulani will pursue his FWO postdoctoral research project Just Energy Transition from Below: Lithium, Everyday Life and Spiritual Entanglements in Zimbabwe, c.1950 to the Present, exploring critical minerals through the lens of everyday experiences and local knowledge. He is also developing a monograph based on his PhD research on gendered labour and artisanal gold mining in postcolonial Zimbabwe.
Beyond academia, Jabulani is passionate about photography and environmental storytelling 📷, and recently co-edited Abundance/Extracted: Living with Mining and Oil in Africa.