Acteurs et territoires du Sahel

The forms taken by interactions between societies vary constantly in line with communication channels and political agreements between states. Human mobility remains one of the factors in these interactions between non-contiguous territories; it enables the transfer of techniques, capital, ideas and the development of solidarity between peoples. Poor climatic conditions in the Sahel region on the one hand, and the growth of national policies for organising development cooperation on the other, have brought about the emigration of a section of the population of the Sahel region to other countries and has led to the arrival in the Sahel region of a large number of exogenous development stakeholders. The confrontation between the development strategies drawn up by stakeholders from different backgrounds and the interventions carried out at different geographical levels signify the progressive establishment of a new system of appropriating space. This system, operated by the leaders of NGOs, migrants and local elected officials, reinforces North-South and South-South interactions and culminates in the construction of a new type of territory. Using surveys and analyses in France and the Sahel region of Africa, this book provides the keys to understanding organisational dynamics, the emergence of a highly structured associative movement in both African and Western countries, and introduces the new spatial and social hierarchies.