Abstract
Based on the distinction between the State—that is, the nation-state institutional model—and the state—that is, the reticular power structures which the State partakes of/in, thereby producing distinctive governmentality model, this chapter takes Mali as a case study to inquire whether the “criminalisation of everyday life” as a mode of existence rather than a systemic dysfunction hindering state formation. Field research shows how criminalisation, by contrast, not only constitutes an important process in the shaping of how people think, live, and do politics, but also is capable of producing state and governance.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The higher the rank, the more a State is considered fragile.
- 2.
I thank Pierre Prud’homme for attracting my attention on this point: this list is drawn from his PhD thesis La Trace de Dieu: une anthropologie des régimes d’orthodoxie au Mali (2016), an excellent reference as to the evolution of Islam and its political function in Mali, as well as its relationship with the State.
- 3.
Popular private-owned buses with 20 places, operating as public transport.
- 4.
It is important to recall that often the monthly rent of a room/apartment in a popular concession does not exceed 8000–10,000 CFA francs.
- 5.
Fieldwork notebook, Bamako, January 2017.
- 6.
Interview with taxi driver, Bamako, January 2017.
- 7.
Interviews with several truck drivers, Bamako, June–July 2016.
- 8.
Interviews with several truck drivers, Bamako, June–July 2016.
- 9.
Interview with Northern Malian Member of the Parliament, Bamako, July 2016.
- 10.
The Mandé is a cultural and linguistic region in West Africa extending on parts of Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire.
- 11.
King or ruler, head of state.
- 12.
Tenants of the state, power people.
- 13.
Interview with State officer, at the time an attaché to the Prime Minister’s office, Bamako, June 2016.
- 14.
Interview with several stationery sellers, Bamako, February 2017.
- 15.
Malian French for “being considered a good-for-nothing”.
- 16.
Interview with Gao truck driver, Bamako, June 2016.
- 17.
Interviews with several real estate agents; Bamako, February 2017.
- 18.
Interviews with several transport companies and businessmen; Bamako, February 2017.
- 19.
Interviews with several traditional chiefs; Bamako, February 2017.
- 20.
Since the beginning, Malian democracy enjoyed the support of international community and attracted substantial foreign investments and international aid, boosting government budget and Malian economy.
- 21.
Azawad is the name given to the northern part of Mali by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) when the independence was proclaimed in 2012.
References
Abderrahmane, A. 2012. The Dire Situation in the North of Mali Is Further Complicated by the Growing Presence of Drug Traffickers. Institute for Security Studies, August 6. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/drug-trafficking-and-the-crisis-in-mali
Amselle, J.-L. 1985. Socialislme, Capitalisme et Précapitalisme au Mali (1960–1982). In Contradictions of Accumulation in Africa, ed. H. Bernstein and B.K. Campbell. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
———. 1987. Fonctionnaires et hommes d’affaires au Mali. Politique africaine, 26.
Bagayogo, S. 1987. L’État au Mali: representation, autonomie et mode de fonctionnement. In L’État contemporain en Afrique, ed. E. Terray. Paris: L’Harmattan.
Bayart, J.-F., S. Ellis, and B. Hibou. 1999. The Criminalisation of the State in Africa. London: International African Institute.
Berman, B.J., and J. Lonsdale. 1992. Unhappy Valley. Conflict in Kenya and Africa. London: James Currey.
Bigot, L. 2012. Les défis du Sahel: focus sur la crise malienne. June 22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn67xaLPCBM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Deleuze, G. 1990. Pourparlers 1972–1990. Paris: Minuit.
Foucault, M. 1971. Orders of Discourse. Social Science Information 10 (2): 7–30.
———. 1984. Le pouvoir, comment s’exerce-t-il ? In Michel Foucault, un parcours philosophique, ed. H.L. Dreyfus and P. Rabinow. Paris: Gallimard.
Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime. 2014. Illicit Trafficking and Instability in Mali: Past, Present and Future. http://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2014-Crime.pdf
Grémont, C. 2010. Les Touaregs Iwellemmedan (1647–1896). Un ensemble politique de la Boucle du Niger. Paris: Karthala.
Guyer, J. 2000. La tradition de l’invention en Afrique équatoriale. Politique africaine 3 (79): 101–139.
Ignatieff, M. 2002. State Failure and Nation-Building. In Humanitarian Intervention: Ethical, Legal and Political Dilemmas, ed. J.L. Holzgrefe and R. Keohane. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jackson, R.H. 1990. Quasi-States: Sovereignty, International Relations and the Third World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kedzierska-Manzon, A. 2014. Chasseurs mandingues: violence, pouvoir et religion en Afrique de l’Ouest. Paris: Karthala.
Latour, de. 1982. La paix destructrice. In Guerres de lignages et guerres d’états en Afrique, ed. J. Bazin and E. Terray. Paris: Éditions des Archives Contemporaines.
Marchal, R. 2002. Les frontières de la paix et de la guerre. Politix 15 (58): 39–59.
Olivier de Sardan, J.-P. 1982. Le cheval et l’arc. In Guerres de lignages et guerres d’états en Afrique, ed. J. Bazin and E. Terray. Paris: Éditions des Archives Contemporaines.
Roitman, J. 2005. Fiscal Disobedience: An Anthropology of Regulation in Central Africa. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Rotberg, R. 2003. State Failure and State Weakness in a Time of Terror. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
Tilly, C. 1985. War Making and State Making as Organized Crime. In Bringing the State Back in, ed. P.B. Evans, D. Rueschemeyer, and T. Skocpol. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Weber, M. 2003 [1964]. L’éthique protestante et l’esprit du capitalisme. Paris: Gallimard.
Zartman, W. 1995. Collapsed States: The Disintegration and Restoration of Legitimate Authority. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Zanoletti, G. (2019). Conversations Bamakoises in Time of Crisis: Criminalisation of Everyday Life and State Formation in Mali. In: Polese, A., Russo, A., Strazzari, F. (eds) Governance Beyond the Law. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05039-9_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05039-9_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-05038-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-05039-9
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)