Clarifying realization process of multi-ethnic society in Africa: Focusing on discretions of traditional authorities in the local administration

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K20552
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 80010:Area studies-related
• Research Institution: Kobe University (2020-2023); Rissho University (2019)
• Principal Investigator: Hara Masaya 神戸大学, 人間発達環境学研究科, 助教 (00823147)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: サブサハラアフリカ / ザンビア / 北ローデシア / 伝統的権威 / 間接統治 / 地域的文脈 / 移入 / 明文化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study clarifies factors of realization of multi-ethnic societies by focusing on traditional authorities in Northwestern Zambia after the colonial period. The study aims to explore the structure of local governance to contribute to realization of co-existence societies. The chiefs who are traditional authorities have the power of local administration in the Kaonde society. And the prejudices of local chiefs may have also affected community development. During the colonial period, the government created the positions and roles of chiefs. The study demonstrates that the chiefs who understood the circumstances of their own territories well played important roles in the local governance. It is important to consider the contexts of the area which are not put in the legal system such as the relationships between the chiefs and residents, the characters of chiefs, when we consider the local governance in Africa.

Free Research Field

地域研究

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

サブサハラアフリカにおいて、植民地期に確立された伝統的権威の権力や彼らによる統治は、独立後にも保持された。本研究で取り上げたザンビアでは、現在までチーフが地域社会に大きく影響を与えている。チーフの民族を中心とした地方行政が執り行われ、国政選挙の結果にも大きく反映される。チーフの経てきた歴史や住民との関係性、チーフ個人の性格や人脈など、明文化されないチーフにまつわる事象が、地域社会を規定していることがわかった。この明文化されない地域的文脈を重要視することで、近年頻発する集団間の衝突や紛争を抑止する多民族社会の形成に大きく貢献することができる。