Uittreksel
Based on long-term ethnographic research, this article analyses the relations
between local politics and farmers’ participation in rural development
in Tigray (Ethiopia). It takes an actor-oriented approach and focuses on local
government officials and farmer representatives, who mediate between
the government agencies that undertake rural development programmes
and the farmers whom they address. To reach the target numbers of programme
beneficiaries, these local development brokers ‘mobilize’ farmers
to participate. They capitalize upon the historical legitimacy of the 1975–
91 revolution against the military Derg dictatorship in which the Tigray
People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), now heading the national government,
and Tigray’s rural population successfully joined forces. They revitalize
farmers’ collective memory of this alliance and reinvent the revolutionary
grassroots institutions through which it was realized. The effects of mobilization
on participation in development are most evident among farmers
who are members of the TPLF. A TPLF-development nexus arises, structuring
local political career opportunities along the lines of development.
The case study attempts to contribute to an empirical understanding of
the entanglement of local politics and local development brokerage in rural
African societies.
between local politics and farmers’ participation in rural development
in Tigray (Ethiopia). It takes an actor-oriented approach and focuses on local
government officials and farmer representatives, who mediate between
the government agencies that undertake rural development programmes
and the farmers whom they address. To reach the target numbers of programme
beneficiaries, these local development brokers ‘mobilize’ farmers
to participate. They capitalize upon the historical legitimacy of the 1975–
91 revolution against the military Derg dictatorship in which the Tigray
People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), now heading the national government,
and Tigray’s rural population successfully joined forces. They revitalize
farmers’ collective memory of this alliance and reinvent the revolutionary
grassroots institutions through which it was realized. The effects of mobilization
on participation in development are most evident among farmers
who are members of the TPLF. A TPLF-development nexus arises, structuring
local political career opportunities along the lines of development.
The case study attempts to contribute to an empirical understanding of
the entanglement of local politics and local development brokerage in rural
African societies.
| Oorspronkelijke taal | Ongedefinieerd/onbekend |
|---|---|
| Tijdschrift | African Affairs |
| Volume | 108 |
| Exemplaarnummer | 430 |
| Pagina's (van-tot) | 91-109 |
| Aantal pagina’s | 19 |
| ISSN | 0001-9909 |
| DOI's | |
| Publicatiestatus | Gepubliceerd - 1-jan.-2009 |