News Articles and Written Stories

Hossein, C.S. Holmes, N. (2023, Sept 13th). ‘Susu’: Ghana’s Informal Economy is a Case Study in Post-capitalist Development. Radical Ecological Democracy. (Online).

Nwoko, H. (2023, April 18th). Is Your Grandmother's Sou-Sou Savings Club the Key to Community Wealth Building? Parents. (Online).

Holmes, N. (2023, April 4th). Strengthening the Black social economy. Post Growth Perspectives. (Online).

Holmes, N. (2022, May 30th). ROSCAs: A model for sustainable economic development. Post Growth Perspectives. (Online).

Russell, R.,A. (2022, May 3rd). A new network will support research excellence, mentorship and collaboration among Black scholars (White paper). U of T News. University of Toronto. (Online).

Hossein, C. & Dahiya, A. (2022, June 7th). Recognizing ROSCAs in Canada as a form of Black mutual aid and cooperation. Make it Plain. (Online).

Mutaru, A. (2022, August 22nd). How the Ghana Susu system helps the African diaspora. Grassroots Economic Organizing. (Online).

Mission Asset Fund. (2022, September 22). Lending circles is a gateway to empower our community. Retrieved September 23, 2022. (Online).

Dao, N. (2022). Money pool (hụi/họ) in the Mekong Delta: An old way of doing finance in rural Vietnam (White paper). Asia Research Brief, York Centre for Asian Research. 47 (PDF).

Hossein, C.S., (2021, March 9th). Banking Co-ops Run by Black Women Have a Longtime Legacy of Helping People. The National Post. (Online).

Hossein, C. (2021, March 8th). Banking co-ops run by Black women have a longtime legacy of helping people. The Conversation.(Online).

Hossein, C. & Mondesir, E. (2021, June 21st). The banker ladies. Grassroots Economic Organizing. (Online).

Open Americas. (2021, August 5th). Coop banking and social enterprise solutions for Black and racialized people in Canada and the Americas. (Online).

Hossein, C. (2021, October 25th). Much gratitude to the Caribbean for Boxhand, Susu and Partner: We now have humane systems of economic cooperation. Stabroek News - In the Diaspora. (Online).

Hossein, C.S., (2021, February 24th). Canada Can Take a Lesson on Financial Inclusion from Black Banker Ladies. The Hill Times - Opinion. (Online) (PDF)

Panne, V.,V. (2018, November 26th). The alternative to traditional banking you’ve never heard of. In These Times. (Online).

Hossein, C.S. (2018, March 8th). Economic Collectives — Such As “Box Hand”, “Sadooq”, “Ayuto” And “Susu” — Are Important Cooperative Financial Tools In The African Canadian Community. Pride News Magazine. (PDF)

Hossein, C.S. (2018, January 18). Examining Susu: An African Tradition in Canada's Social Economy. Share Magazine. (PDF)

Hossein, C.S. (2016, July 25th). A trusted ancient African tradition of savings. Montreal Community Contact. (Online) (PDF)

Jain, M. (2016, March 6th). Rotating savings and credit association (ROSCA): All you need to know. Money Club. (Online).

Video and Audio

Everything Coop. (2023, March 2nd). Andria Barrett, Co-founder of The Banker Ladies Council, Discusses ROSCAS. (Online).

Nash, Tim. (Host). (2023, February 17th). Who Are the Banker Ladies? [Audio podcast episode]. In Responsible Investing. Toronto Star. (Online).

The Banker Ladies

Films For Action - Film (21:41)
The Banker Ladies tells the stories of Ginelle, Aisha and Mabinty, three Black women in Toronto creating diverse financial services for their communities through Rotating Saving and Credit Associations (ROSCAs).

(Watch Online).

Link to video

Politicized Microfinance

Microfinance has been around for centuries, and exists in a historical and colonial context.

By using diasporic Black feminist theory and a framework of intersectionality, we can see how microfinance undermines indigenous banking systems, reinforces unequal power dynamics, and perpetuates social exclusion. In short it’s a system designed by the powerful and decides who can participate

Community Economies in the Global South

Learn more about how people who organize rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) bring positive changes to their own lives. Case studies include examples in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia through case studies.

Journal Articles

Hossein, C. S., & Bonsu, S. K. (2023, March 22nd). Situating the West African system of collectivity: A study of Susu Institutions in Ghana’s urban centers. Rethinking Marxism, 35(1): 108-134. (Online). (PDF).

Hossein, C.S. (2017). Fringe banking in Canada: A preliminary study of the ‘banker ladies’ and economic collectives in Toronto’s inner suburbs. Canadian Journal of Non-Profit and Social Economy Research, 8(1), 29-43. (PDF)

Hossein, C.S. (2015). Black women as cooperators: Rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) in the Caribbean and Canada. Journal of Co-operative Studies, 48(3), 6-17. (Online) (PDF)

Book Chapters

Hossein, C. & Christabell, P.J. (2022). ROSCAs as living proof of diverse economies. In Hossein, C. & Christabell P.J. (Eds). Community Economies in The Global South. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Chapter 1.

Hossein, C. (2022) Caribbean women’s use of susu, partner, sol and box-hand as resistance. Community Economies in the Global South. Hossein, C. & Christabell, PJ. (Eds). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Hossein, C. (2020). Rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs): Mutual aid financing. Section 5 in J.K., Gibson-Graham & Dombroski, K. (Eds.), The Handbook of Diverse Economies. Edward Elgar Press, Cheltenham, UK. .

Hossein, C. (2020). Black diaspora women lead cooperative banks. In Weiner, R. & and Forno, F. (Eds.), Sustainable Community Movement Organizations: Solidarity Economies and Rhizomatic Practices. Routledge UK.

Hossein, C., (2018). Building economic solidarity: Caribbean ROSCAs in Jamaica, Guyana and Haiti. In Hossein, C. (Ed.), The Black Social Economy in the Americas: Exploring Diverse Community Based Markets. Palgrave Macmillan.

Books

Hossein, C. S. (2016). Politicized Microfinance: Money, Power, and Violence in the Black Americas (1st ed.). University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division. (Amazon)

Hossein C. S. & Christabell P.,J. (2022). (Eds). Community Economies in The Global South: Case Studies About Rotating Savings and Credit Associations and Economic Cooperatives. Oxford University Press. (Amazon)