State property vs. customary ownership: a comparative framework in West Africa

Dolcerocca A. P. C.

Journal of Peasant Studies, vol.49, no.5, pp.1064-1078, 2022 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 49 Issue: 5
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/03066150.2021.1907353
  • Journal Name: Journal of Peasant Studies
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, American History and Life, Anthropological Literature, CAB Abstracts, Geobase, Historical Abstracts, PAIS International, Political Science Complete, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Veterinary Science Database, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.1064-1078
  • Keywords: Customary rights, rural land, state property, legal pluralism, French West Africa, land reforms
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.This article examines relations between state and customary land claims in Francophone West Africa. This region, despite a broadly common legal heritage at the time of independence, experienced a wide variety of changes at the national scale to the point where these countries now form a full spectrum of statutory/customary relations. After a historical review of rural property rights in Francophone West Africa, this article proposes a typology of State vs. Customary ownership in the region with a focus on four exemplary cases: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Mauritania.