Final published version
Licence: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Corporate land acquisitions at the intersection of lineage and patronage networks in Cameroon
AU - Ndi, Frankline
AU - Batterbury, Simon
AU - Wanki, James
PY - 2021/9/30
Y1 - 2021/9/30
N2 - Despite the proliferation of literature on large-scale land acquisitions (LSLA) inAfrica, few empirical studies exist on how patronage networks combine with sociocultural stratification to determine the livelihood outcomes for African agrarian based communities. This article draws from ethnographic research on Cameroon to contribute to bridging this gap. We argue that lineage and patronage considerations intersect to determine beneficiaries and losers during LSLA. Second, we show that LSLA tend to re-entrench existing inequalities in power relations that exist within communities in favour of people with traceable ancestral lineage. Concomitantly, non-indigenous groups especially migrants bear the brunt of exclusion and are unfortunately exposed to severe livelihood stresses due to their inability to leverage patronage networks and political power to defend their interests. We submit that empirical examination of the impacts of land acquisitions should consider the centrality of power and patronage networks between indigenes and non-indigenes, and how this socio-cultural dichotomy restricts and/or mediates land acquisition outcomes in Cameroon.
AB - Despite the proliferation of literature on large-scale land acquisitions (LSLA) inAfrica, few empirical studies exist on how patronage networks combine with sociocultural stratification to determine the livelihood outcomes for African agrarian based communities. This article draws from ethnographic research on Cameroon to contribute to bridging this gap. We argue that lineage and patronage considerations intersect to determine beneficiaries and losers during LSLA. Second, we show that LSLA tend to re-entrench existing inequalities in power relations that exist within communities in favour of people with traceable ancestral lineage. Concomitantly, non-indigenous groups especially migrants bear the brunt of exclusion and are unfortunately exposed to severe livelihood stresses due to their inability to leverage patronage networks and political power to defend their interests. We submit that empirical examination of the impacts of land acquisitions should consider the centrality of power and patronage networks between indigenes and non-indigenes, and how this socio-cultural dichotomy restricts and/or mediates land acquisition outcomes in Cameroon.
KW - Land acquisition
KW - lineage
KW - patronage
KW - Indigenous
KW - settlers
KW - Cameroon
U2 - 10.1017/S0022278X2100015X
DO - 10.1017/S0022278X2100015X
M3 - Journal article
VL - 59
SP - 319
EP - 341
JO - Journal of Modern African Studies
JF - Journal of Modern African Studies
SN - 0022-278X
IS - 3
ER -