Struggling for water and pastures in Niger

In Niger the question of rights to pastoral resources
illustrates how struggles in Western mindset have
been transported to the developing world. On the one
hand there has been an attempt to standardise legal
frameworks and land tenure practices with uniform
rules. On the other hand,
since the 1990s customary practices are increasingly
recognised in legal frameworks. "Struggling for water
and pastures in Niger" investigates the philosophical
assumptions behind the rules governing rights to
water and pastures. It shows how these assumptions
inform natural resource struggles on the ground. The
book reveals that points of contest between
universalism and cultural relativism in regards to
property, public authority and justice are reflected
in both national legislation and international
development practices. On the basis of a sensitive
study of struggles over water and pastures in the
pastoral areas the author accounts for the outcome of
conflict and cooperation and explains why herders,
like people in other cultures, conceive of their
rights in a contradictory manner: as requiring
adoption to cultural specific conditions and yet
applies universally to all.

Autorentext

Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde (B. 1979), Master of Social Sciences:Studied International Development Studies and Philosophy atRoskilde University, University of Copenhagen and University ofWashington, Seattle. PhD candidate at International DevelopmentStudies, Roskilde University and Danish Institute forInternational Studies, Copenhagen.

Klappentext

In Niger the question of rights to pastoral resourcesillustrates how struggles in Western mindset havebeen transported to the developing world. On the onehand there has been an attempt to standardise legalframeworks and land tenure practices with uniformrules. On the other hand,since the 1990s customary practices are increasinglyrecognised in legal frameworks. "Struggling for waterand pastures in Niger" investigates the philosophicalassumptions behind the rules governing rights towater and pastures. It shows how these assumptionsinform natural resource struggles on the ground. Thebook reveals that points of contest betweenuniversalism and cultural relativism in regards toproperty, public authority and justice are reflectedin both national legislation and internationaldevelopment practices. On the basis of a sensitivestudy of struggles over water and pastures in thepastoral areas the author accounts for the outcome ofconflict and cooperation and explains why herders,like people in other cultures, conceive of theirrights in a contradictory manner: as requiringadoption to cultural specific conditions and yetapplies universally to all.