Citation
Ilboudo Nébié, Elisabeth Kago; West, Colin Thor; & Crane, Todd Andrew (2020). 'Where's the Map?': Integrating Ethnography with Maps to Understand the Complementarity between Pastoral Mobility and Border Formation. Journal of Political Ecology, 27(1), 795-818. PMCID: PMC7861573Abstract
The resettlement of herders in pastoral zones is often criticized for hindering pastoral mobility, which is essential to survival. We integrate narratives of conflict and environmental change with maps to demonstrate the complementarity between pastoral mobility - porous borders - and border demarcation - rigid borders. We use evidence from the Sondre-Est Pastoral Zone in southern Burkina Faso, where herders were voluntarily resettled near agricultural villages following the droughts of the 1970s. Over time, however, farmers encroached on the borders of the pastoral zone and surrounding grazing areas declined. This increased landuse disputes. Tensions were exacerbated by the fact that these communities kept maps as community secrets. We re-created the administrative boundaries of the pastoral zone to map land-use/land-cover changes and conflict hot spots. The maps show that conflicts happened along porous borders where agricultural fields encroached. Herders called for a clear demarcation of the border of the pastoral zone to preserve exclusive access to resources within it. Simultaneously, they also wanted to maintain shared access to other resources outside the pastoral zone. The herders' desire for both border clarity and some form of flexibility underlines the complementary between both processes, especially in times of resource scarcity and land-use conflict. The mystery around the maps helps sustain ambiguity that is key for pursuing both goals.URL
https://doi.org/10.2458/v27i1.23152Reference Type
Journal ArticleYear Published
2020Journal Title
Journal of Political EcologyAuthor(s)
Ilboudo Nébié, Elisabeth KagoWest, Colin Thor
Crane, Todd Andrew