Chieftaincy Reimagined: Modernity and Tradition in the Chefferie of Batoufam, Cameroon
Abstract
This thesis uses chieftaincy in Cameroon, and specifically the chefferie (chieftainship)
of Batoufam, as a lens through which to understand the complex tensions between modernity
and tradition in postcolonial Africa. After presenting a historical study of Grassfield
chiefs’ role in the modern Cameroonian state, I analyze the relationship between tradition
and modernity through the case study of the chief of Batoufam, Cameroon. My research
drew upon several weeks of conducting over twenty-five interviews with village leaders,
including the chief and several notables, in order to understand why traditional institutions
in African nations are continually excluded from the global development industry.
I argue that, not only can traditional institutions produce aspects of Western modernity,
but these institutions in Cameroon also utilize liberal and neoliberal practices in
the interest of community goals, mobilizing Western strategies for new and different
purposes. I conclude that traditional institutions in Africa are not merely reproducing
a Western model of modernity, but are in fact reshaping modernity itself through new
conceptualizations, forms and applications. These traditional institutions thus present
a critical resource for development, suggesting alternate strategies and future realities.
Description
honors thesis; awarded honors
Type
Honors thesisDepartment
International Comparative StudiesSubject
Cameroon grassfields, Batoufam, chieftaincy, traditional leadership, modernity, liberalism
and neoliberalismtradition
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9730Citation
Grace, Jaclyn (2015). Chieftaincy Reimagined: Modernity and Tradition in the Chefferie of Batoufam, Cameroon.
Honors thesis, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9730.Collections
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