Moengo on strike: the politics of labour in Suriname’s Bauxite industry

This article examines one crucial period of contestation in colonial Suriname, the years 1941 and 1942, when sustained labour unrest in the bauxite town of Moengo led to the establishment of the first mining unions. It argues that these strikes laid the groundwork for future relations between labour, the company and the state and explores the kinds of socio-political alliances that were forged between labour and nationalist politicians on the one hand, and government and the transnational company on the other, thereby situating this particular contestation in a larger struggle over a colonial system that aligned itself with metropolitan economic interests.