‘Home use cars’ network dynamics in Ghana: a relational ethnographic analysis

Abstract

Relational ethnographies presume conceptual emphasis on relations over objects engaged in those interactions. In that sense, social relations are not viewed as external and static among the actors but as unfolding dynamic and interconnecting processes. In this paper, I draw on Desmond’s relational ethnography to argue that micro-level dynamics and particularities of social relations among actors in Ghana’s second cars and auto parts market (re)produce interlocking relations of opportunities, sense of belonging and contestation. It shows how citizenship is used to draw the contours of dealers’ legitimacy and exclusion from the market. The findings indicate that nuanced events and expectations tied to relationships such as family and fictive kinship prescribe the social dynamics of interactions and their patterning in networks. This article complements traditional relational studies by demonstrating how national sentiment offers an additional meaning beyond the discourses known in a transnational trade (i.e. second-cars market). This is critical for understanding the socio-political discourses on nationalist sentiments and challenging realities in the informal economy.