Micro-Regionalism in West Africa: Evidence from Two Case Studies, Discussion Paper 34

by Fredrik Soderbaum (Editor), Ian Taylor (Editor)

Overview

This collection complements and advances recent studies on regionalism in Africa and the implications that this has for the continent's development. The two case studies on cross-border micro-regionalism in the borderlands of Mali-Burkina Faso and Niger-Nigeria are part of the work of the West Africa Border Initiative (WABI). WABI is a research institute that looks at cross-border developments in West Africa, particularly at the convergence between political will and regionalization on the ground.

Providing a challenge to the considerable number of state-centric, formalistic and not seldom overly idealistic studies in this field, the two cases show quite clearly that formal borders either essentially do not exist in the modern sense, being ignored by local populations and traders, or are strategically used by (often self-styled) representatives of the state to extract resources and rents. In either case, the Eurocentric notion of fixed boundaries and bordered delineations has little purchase in the West African Sahel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789171065841
Publisher:	Nordic Africa Institute, The
Publication date:	12/28/2006
Series:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet Discussion Paper Series
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	6.46(w) x 9.34(h) x 0.15(d)

About the Author

Ian Taylor is Senior Lecturer at the School of International Relations, University of St. Andrews; Professor Extraordinare at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa; and Visiting Lecturer to the Faculty of Development Studies, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda.

Fredrik Söderbaum is Associate Professor at the Department of Peace and Development Research and Director of the Centre for African Studies, School of Global Studies, Göteburg University, Sweden. He is also a research fellow at the United Nations University-Comparative Regional Integration Studies in Bruges, Belgium.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Thinking about Micro-Regionalism in West Africa     5
Regionalisms in the Sahel: The Mopti-Ouahigouya Cross-Border Area     8
Cross-Border Cooperation between Niger and Nigeria: The Case of the Maradi Micro-Region     23
List of Abbreviations     32
Notes on the authors     33