This book is based on iterative multi-sited ethnography at Merrivale farm, Tavaka village, and various sites in South Africa. The author reveals how the dynamics generated by fast-track potentially... Show moreThis book is based on iterative multi-sited ethnography at Merrivale farm, Tavaka village, and various sites in South Africa. The author reveals how the dynamics generated by fast-track potentially offer new development opportunities - specifically for women. The findings challenge existing expert notions and opinions about women's rural land use, livelihoods, and rural development. The book examines how negotiations and bargaining by women with family, state, and traditional actors have proved useful in accessing land in Mwenezi district, Zimbabwe. The hidden, complex, and innovative ways adopted by women to access land and shape livelihoods based on transitory mobility are examined. The role of collective action, conflicts, conflict resolution, and women's agency in overcoming the challenges associated with trading in South Africa are examined within the ambit of the sustainable livelihoods framework, a gendered approach to land reform and social networks Show less
Cameroon's economic crisis has led to widespread unemployment and poverty since the 1980s. Civil society organizations, including the churches, believe that bad governance is at the heart of the... Show moreCameroon's economic crisis has led to widespread unemployment and poverty since the 1980s. Civil society organizations, including the churches, believe that bad governance is at the heart of the country's economic problems and are calling for the introduction of democratic institutions. However, a growing number of Pentecostal churches, especially in Anglophone Cameroon, are also offering an attractive message of salvation to the suffering masses. This study considers how the new gospel of accumulation and prosperity relates to the material predicaments of Cameroonians. It investigates the transition from 'classical' to 'modern' Pentecostalism and the continuous defection of members of the mainline churches to the new Pentecostal groups that are propagating this gospel of prosperity as opposed to the ascetic doctrine of mainline groups. The book consists of five published articles and a general introduction. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
La zone de Kantindi, canton de la Région des Savanes, est l'une des plus peuplées du Togo, avec un mode de vie principalement agraire: la commercialisation du coton et de l'arachide fournit les... Show moreLa zone de Kantindi, canton de la Région des Savanes, est l'une des plus peuplées du Togo, avec un mode de vie principalement agraire: la commercialisation du coton et de l'arachide fournit les trois quarts des revenus et les produits vivriers couvrent soixante-dix pour cent de la consommation alimentaire. Les conditions de vie y restent cependant difficiles. La sous-nutrition y est chronique, l'approvisionnement en eau déplorable, le revenu insuffisant et les ressources des habitants dépendent pour une part des envois d'argent des émigrés. Se fondant sur des documents d'archives et des enquêtes menées à Kantindi, l'auteur montre comment, au cours de la colonisation allemande, puis française, et après l'indépendance, s'est réalisée l'intégration de cette région enclavée dans l'économie de traite ouest-africaine et dans l'État togolais moderne. Il établit un lien entre cette intégration et le mode de vie à Kantindi et fait appel aussi bien à l'analyse anthropologique qu'à la géographie, l'économie et l'histoire. Show less
