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Guest Editors’ Introduction to the Power of Performance—the Performance of Power Forum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2019

Till Förster Open the ORCID record for Till Förster [Opens in a new window]  and
Aïdas Sanogo
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Abstract:

The West African savannah is an area where old and new institutions fill the lacunae that limited statehood has left. Some of them claim a long history, others have emerged recently as a reaction to military and civil crises. The performance of power, its display and presentation, is a theme that all these associations share. They do so on different occasions and by different means, which highlights their diverging ethics and attitudes towards their local communities and the state. This introduction to the guest edited forum outlines central themes of these performances and discusses performativity in West African power associations.

Résumé:

La savane ouest-africaine est une région dans laquelle des institutions tant anciennes que nouvelles viennent combler les lacunes laissées par les États à souveraineté limitée. Certaines d’entre elles sont caractérisées par une longue histoire, alors que d’autres ont vu le jour récemment en réaction aux crises militaires et civiles. La performance du pouvoir – sa présentation et sa représentation – est un thème commun à toutes ces institutions. Celles-ci s’engagent dans ces performances à diverses occasions et par des moyens multiples, mettant en lumière une éthique et des attitudes divergentes envers les communautés locales et l’État. L’introduction de ce forum dessine les contours des thèmes centraux de ces performances et discute la performativité de ces institutions en Afrique occidentale.

Resumo :

A savana da África ocidental é um território onde novas e antigas instituições preenchem as lacunas criadas pelo baixo nível de estatização. Algumas dessas instituições têm uma longa história, outras emergiram recentemente, em resultado de crises militares e civis. Todas estas associações partilham entre si o tema da performance do poder, da sua exibição e apresentação. Fazem-no em diferentes ocasiões e de formas diversas, o que evidencia a prevalência de éticas e atitudes divergentes em relação às respetivas comunidades locais e ao estado. Nesta introdução ao fórum editado por um convidado, elencamos os temas centrais destas performances e analisamos a natureza performativa das associações que exercem poder na África ocidental.

Type
FORUM: The Power of Performance—the Performance of Power
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 62 , Issue 1 , March 2019 , pp. 67 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2019 

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