Politics of origin in Africa - Autochthony, citizenship and conflict (Paperback)

In this revealing new book, Boas and Dunn explore the phenomenon of autochthony in contemporary African politics. Autochthony discourses enable the speaker to establish a direct claim to territory by the assertion of being an original inhabitant, a native - literally a `son of the soil'. In contemporary Africa, questions concerning origin are currently among the most crucial and contested issues in political life, as they directly relate to the politics of place, belonging, identity and contested citizenship. Thus, land claims and autochthony disputes are the hallmark of political crises in many places on the African continent. As well as examining the reasons behind this recent rise of autochthony, the book contains in-depth empirical evidence from high-profile case studies from across Africa. These include the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), specifically the contested status of the `Rwandaphone' in North Kivu; Cote d'Ivoire, enmeshed in a civil war; Liberia, where these issues are at the heart of the so-called `Mandingo-question'; and Kenya, as it grapples with the issue of nativism playing out across the Horn of Africa. This is an essential book for anyone wishing to understand this crucial issue and its impact on contemporary African politics and conflicts.