New Perspectives on Land Dispossession, Violent Conflict and Migration in the West African Sahel
LANDRESPONSE investigates the links between land dispossession, elite capture, and smallholder responses, including violent resistance and migration, in the Sahel, focusing on Mali.
Projectdetails
Introduction
Farmers and pastoralists in the Sahel continuously struggle to maintain control over land faced with rent-seeking elites, processes of modernization, and uncertain land rights. The hypothesis of LANDRESPONSE is that smallholders who are dispossessed of access to land are more inclined to either migrate or resist violently.
Research Focus
Violent resistance will be studied in this project with regard to the increasing numbers of armed groups labelled ‘jihadist’ in the Sahel, and in particular in Mali. The project will investigate the nature of the links between:
- Land dispossession and elite capture
- Violent jihadist resistance to governments
- Migration to North Africa and Europe
These hypothesized links will be investigated using mixed methods, with a particular focus on Mali as a ‘hub’ country in the Western Sahel in terms of both violence and migration.
Objectives
Following this conceptual framework, the objectives directing the project will be:
- To investigate whether smallholders in the West African Sahel who are dispossessed of their land and/or fall victim to rent-seeking elites are more inclined to either resist violently or migrate.
- To assess why some smallholders are more prone to resist, even violently, while others remain compliant.
Methodology
With its pioneering engagement with these urgent political issues, the project will combine theoretical and empirical approaches from:
- Political ecology
- Critical agrarian studies
- Peace and conflict studies
This combination aims to generate novel insights about the motivations and agency of smallholders confronted with emerging challenges to their livelihoods.
Expected Outcomes
This interdisciplinary research will generate new knowledge on the interactions between land governance, violent conflicts, and migration. The findings will both push the research frontier and provide new ideas for policy formulation.
Financiële details & Tijdlijn
Financiële details
Subsidiebedrag | € 2.095.696 |
Totale projectbegroting | € 2.095.696 |
Tijdlijn
Startdatum | 1-10-2022 |
Einddatum | 30-9-2027 |
Subsidiejaar | 2022 |
Partners & Locaties
Projectpartners
- NORGES MILJO-OG BIOVITENSKAPLIGE UNIVERSITETpenvoerder
Land(en)
Vergelijkbare projecten binnen European Research Council
Project | Regeling | Bedrag | Jaar | Actie |
---|---|---|---|---|
Countering Jihadi Insurgencies in Africa: Repress, Resist & ReorderCOUNTERRR aims to analyze domestic responses to jihadist armed groups in Mali, Nigeria, and Mozambique to enhance international strategies for conflict stabilization and prevention. | ERC Starting... | € 1.500.000 | 2025 | Details |
Hostile Environments: The Political Ecology of Migration and Border ViolenceThe project aims to reframe "hostile environments" in migration by analyzing the intersection of border and environmental violence through innovative visual and spatial methods, engaging affected communities. | ERC Starting... | € 1.499.855 | 2022 | Details |
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The Political Lives of Migrants: Perspectives from AfricaPolMig aims to redefine political migrant agency from an Afrocentric perspective, using innovative methods to address global inequalities and enhance understanding of migrants' roles in postcolonial contexts. | ERC Starting... | € 1.499.278 | 2024 | Details |
Countering Jihadi Insurgencies in Africa: Repress, Resist & Reorder
COUNTERRR aims to analyze domestic responses to jihadist armed groups in Mali, Nigeria, and Mozambique to enhance international strategies for conflict stabilization and prevention.
Hostile Environments: The Political Ecology of Migration and Border Violence
The project aims to reframe "hostile environments" in migration by analyzing the intersection of border and environmental violence through innovative visual and spatial methods, engaging affected communities.
Urban Frontiers. From Illegal Land Occupation to Legalized Property
This project investigates how diverse actors in the Global South transform illegal land use into perceived legality through coding and legalization, using case studies from nine peri-urban conflicts.
Access to crop diversity and small farms’ resilience to climate variability in African drylands: The role of seed and information networks
This project aims to understand how social networks influence smallholder farmers' access to crop diversity and resilience in drylands, using innovative data collection and modeling methods.
The Political Lives of Migrants: Perspectives from Africa
PolMig aims to redefine political migrant agency from an Afrocentric perspective, using innovative methods to address global inequalities and enhance understanding of migrants' roles in postcolonial contexts.