Political Legitimacy in Postcolonial Mali

Erscheinungsjahr 2021
ISBN: 978-1-84701-268-5
Verlag: Boydell & Brewer

Buch, Englisch, Band 17, 258 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 231 mm, Gewicht: 499 g

Reihe: Western Africa Series

An innovative examination of our understanding of political legitimacy in Mali, and its wider implications for democratization and political modernity in the Global South.

The 2012 coup d'état in Mali, and the political destabilization that followed, brought an abrupt end to the country's success story as a "donor darling" and as a model of successful democratization. In spite of signing a peace treaty, Muslim militants continue to launch attacks in the country's northern and central territories and to challenge Mali's government and state institutions. The challenge is compounded by the massive opposition mobilized by protagonists of Salafi- inspired readings of Islam in the capital Bamako. Why should this be, and how can it be that these actors, particularly those employing the language of Islam, have emerged as a serious challenge to the political order and government in Mali, and garner support among the country's urban and rural populations?
Against the background dynamics of the political turmoil that has shaken Mali in recent years and the uncertainties surrounding the present government, this book looks to the nature and extent of legitimacy of Mali's postcolonial state and also explores more general questions regarding the nature of political legitimacy. Schulz examines the attitudes, judgments and practices by which inhabitants of a rural area in south-western Mali attribute or disclaim the legitimacy of the state political order and of individual representatives. Countering the tendency of some scholars to adopt a belief-centered approach or to use a broad approach to legitimacy, she suggests a more comprehensive and systematic approach to legitimation that takes into account the subjective attitudes of actors as well as their material circumstances and the state of institutional governance.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Schulz, Dorothea E

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Entwicklungsstudien
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Internationale Wirtschaft Entwicklungsökonomie & Emerging Markets
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen Kolonialismus, Imperialismus
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Demokratie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Kolonialgeschichte, Geschichte des Imperialismus

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction
Demokrasi as the 'rule of envy'
Cultural Performance and Political Legitimacy: The Political Biography of Jeli Praise, 1960-91
Decentralization and Political Legitimacy in Mali
Staging 'culture' and Political Legitimacy in the Era of Liberalization
Legitimacy in Question: The Challenge of Islamic Renewal
Conclusion: In Pursuit of Legitimacy
Postscript: 'Rest in peace, democracy'?
Glossary
Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Schulz, Dorothea E
DOROTHEA E. SCHULZ is Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Münster; she previously taught at Indiana University and the University of Cologne. Her books include Muslims and New Media in West Africa: Pathways to God (2012) and, co-edited with Patrick A. Desplat, Prayer in the City: The Making of Muslim Sacred Places and Urban Life (2012).