steve tonah - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by steve tonah

Research paper thumbnail of Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of Displaced Persons, Refugees and International Migrants

Göttinger Beiträge zur soziologischen Biographieforschung, Dec 31, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Reconstructing the Nation in Africa: The Politics of Nationalism in Ghana by Michael Amoah

Nations and Nationalism, Oct 24, 2008

tally contingent and constantly susceptible to the vagaries of archival preservation and colonial... more tally contingent and constantly susceptible to the vagaries of archival preservation and colonial and scholarly interpretation. Again, while the introduction correctly complicates the alignment of high and low cultures with writtenness and orality for both Chaturvedi's methodology and evidence, it does not make explicit the methodological significance of his decision to visit postcolonial Kheda to search for contemporary oral counterparts to his archival sources. This brilliant move, that in fact unearths several clues to a fascinating narrative, furthermore pushes the spiralling dynamic between oral and written histories into the realm of the visual, with photographic reproductions of his key figures also appearing as a source of Dharala memorialising of their pasts-a memorialising that is now incorporated within more sanitised regimes of the postcolonial nation. Finally, one would have hoped for a more nuanced unpicking of the category of 'religion' that underpins so much of the author's source material. These quibbles notwithstanding, this is a bold and ambitious book, whose methodological and historiographic innovations are intimately and fruitfully interlinked.

Research paper thumbnail of Land tenure in Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnicity, Belonging and Biography: An Ethnographical and Biographical. Perspective, edited by Rosenthal and A. Bogner. In: The Democratization Process and the Resurgence of Ethnic Politics in Ghana (1992-2006)

Research paper thumbnail of Chapter 11 Fulbe Pastoralists and the Changing Property Relations in Northern Ghana

Berghahn Books, Dec 31, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of State Policies, Local Prejudices and Cattle Rustling Along the

Research paper thumbnail of Chieftaincy succession dispute in Nanun, Northern Ghana: interrogating the narratives of the contestants

Ghana Journal of Geography, 2012

The Nanun chieftaincy dispute involves two persons from the royal gate of Gbugmayili, both of who... more The Nanun chieftaincy dispute involves two persons from the royal gate of Gbugmayili, both of whom claim to have been selected and enski.ned by the appropriate traditional authority as the Bimbilla Naa, the overlord of the Nanumba people of Northern Ghana. The paper critically examines the narratives of the two contestants in the light of the contested oral traditions of the population as well available documentmy evidence. Data for this paper was collected between May and November 2006 and in 2007 and 2009 by observing court proceedings in the Northern Regional House of Chiefs where the dispute is currently pending. Other data came from reviewing archival documents relating to the dispute. Informal conversations and indepth interviews were also held with the two main contestants, some of the kingmakers of the traditional area and with a cross section of the population. The paper argues that though the dispute is essentially a power struggle between two princes for the highest traditional office among the Nanumba, it is also a contest for power between two of Nanim 's most powe1ful kingmakers, the Kpatihi Naa and the Juo Naa. While interrogating the narratives of the two contestants, the paper reveals the changing traditions and the malleability of roles amongst traditional office holders in Nanun.

Research paper thumbnail of The paradox of West African integration: experiences, perceptions and notions of integration among Ghanaians

Research paper thumbnail of The challenge of Fulani pastoralism in Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of Managing Farmer-Herder Conflicts in Ghana’s Volta Basin

IBADAN JOURNAL OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Farmer-herder conflicts have become rather widespread throughout West Africa and constitute a thr... more Farmer-herder conflicts have become rather widespread throughout West Africa and constitute a threat to peace and stability in many countries. This paper examines the management of farmer-herder conflicts in the Volta basin of Ghana. Using information gathered from five communities through the use of participant observation, interviews and focus group discussions, the paper describes the increasing migration of farmers, herders, fishermen and traders into the Volta basin area. The increasing population has accentuated conflicts between farmers and herders as the two groups compete for the use of the resources of the area. The paper also examines in detail the role that the Livestock Farmers Association and other institutions play in mitigating and managing farmer-herder conflicts in the Volta basin.

Research paper thumbnail of Chapter 4 ETHNICITY, IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP OF RECENT MIGRANT GROUPS IN GHANA

Berghahn Books, Dec 31, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Die Rolle des Handels für die Ernährungssicherung der Nomaden: Das Beispiel der Ortschaft Ngoronit

Zeitschrift Fur Ethnologie, 1995

Die traditionellen Ernährungssicherungsmaßnahmen der Nomaden Nordkenias im Rahmen des Herdenmanag... more Die traditionellen Ernährungssicherungsmaßnahmen der Nomaden Nordkenias im Rahmen des Herdenmanagements stoßen aufgrund massiver Landverluste und ande rer Veränderungen in der Umgebung des Nomadismus an die Grenze ihrer Leistungs fähigkeit. Diese Strategien blieben größtenteils auf die Produktion innerhalb eines engen sozialen Kreises und seiner Wirtschaftsform beschränkt. Es sind aber nun auch

Research paper thumbnail of If you don't have money why do you want to be a chief? an analysis of the commercialization of justice in the Houses of Chiefs in Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of The unholy alliance between chiefs and Fulani herdsmen in the middle Volta basin of Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of Chiefs, earth priests and the state: irrigation agriculture, competing institutions and the transformation of land tenure arrangements in Northeastern Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of Becoming a chief is more important than anything else in life

Research paper thumbnail of Agricultural Extension Services and Smallholder Farmers' Indebtedness in Northeastern Ghana

Journal of Asian and African Studies, 1994

Research paper thumbnail of Jeff D. Grischow, Shaping Tradition: civil society, community and development in colonial northern Ghana, 1899–1957. Brill: Leiden (pb €72.00 – 978 9 00415 243 4). 2006, 268 pp

Africa, 2008

in the context of both chiefly rule and European colonialism during the nineteenth and twentieth ... more in the context of both chiefly rule and European colonialism during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He argued that if Muslims pursued both intellectual and spiritual understanding, took personal responsibility for their behaviour and devoted their lives to the community, Islam would thrive under the most difficult of circumstances. Cheikh Babou raises two other important issues in his analysis of the community: the incorporation of lower-class or lesser-caste persons as disciples of the Muridiyya and the position of women, especially their intellectual development, in the tariqa. These deserve greater consideration in future studies of the order. In addition to providing excellent documentation and an extensive bibliography, the book is enhanced by a useful map, five informative tables on lineage relationships, eighteen interesting photographs and a solid index. Cheikh Anta Babou has produced an outstanding, intimate study of the origins, doctrines and development of what is today a vibrant international Sufi movement. It is a fine resource for specialists in Islamic studies and an excellent text for university courses on Islam and Africa.

Research paper thumbnail of State Policies, Local Prejudices and Cattle Rustling Along the Ghana-Burkina Faso Border

Africa, 2000

This article briefly discusses the various factors that gave rise to tension in northern Ghana be... more This article briefly discusses the various factors that gave rise to tension in northern Ghana between Fulbe pastoralists coming in from Burkina Faso and the local Kassena farmers (who have livestock of their own). The Ghanaian government's decision in 1988–89 to expel the Fulbe resulted in more problems, not least the dilemma of how to patrol effectively the permeable borderland and the gradual introduction there of modern firearms. In consequence some argue that it is not the policies of conservation that are being called into question but the government's sovereignty.

Research paper thumbnail of Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of Displaced Persons, Refugees and International Migrants

Göttinger Beiträge zur soziologischen Biographieforschung, Dec 31, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Reconstructing the Nation in Africa: The Politics of Nationalism in Ghana by Michael Amoah

Nations and Nationalism, Oct 24, 2008

tally contingent and constantly susceptible to the vagaries of archival preservation and colonial... more tally contingent and constantly susceptible to the vagaries of archival preservation and colonial and scholarly interpretation. Again, while the introduction correctly complicates the alignment of high and low cultures with writtenness and orality for both Chaturvedi's methodology and evidence, it does not make explicit the methodological significance of his decision to visit postcolonial Kheda to search for contemporary oral counterparts to his archival sources. This brilliant move, that in fact unearths several clues to a fascinating narrative, furthermore pushes the spiralling dynamic between oral and written histories into the realm of the visual, with photographic reproductions of his key figures also appearing as a source of Dharala memorialising of their pasts-a memorialising that is now incorporated within more sanitised regimes of the postcolonial nation. Finally, one would have hoped for a more nuanced unpicking of the category of 'religion' that underpins so much of the author's source material. These quibbles notwithstanding, this is a bold and ambitious book, whose methodological and historiographic innovations are intimately and fruitfully interlinked.

Research paper thumbnail of Land tenure in Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnicity, Belonging and Biography: An Ethnographical and Biographical. Perspective, edited by Rosenthal and A. Bogner. In: The Democratization Process and the Resurgence of Ethnic Politics in Ghana (1992-2006)

Research paper thumbnail of Chapter 11 Fulbe Pastoralists and the Changing Property Relations in Northern Ghana

Berghahn Books, Dec 31, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of State Policies, Local Prejudices and Cattle Rustling Along the

Research paper thumbnail of Chieftaincy succession dispute in Nanun, Northern Ghana: interrogating the narratives of the contestants

Ghana Journal of Geography, 2012

The Nanun chieftaincy dispute involves two persons from the royal gate of Gbugmayili, both of who... more The Nanun chieftaincy dispute involves two persons from the royal gate of Gbugmayili, both of whom claim to have been selected and enski.ned by the appropriate traditional authority as the Bimbilla Naa, the overlord of the Nanumba people of Northern Ghana. The paper critically examines the narratives of the two contestants in the light of the contested oral traditions of the population as well available documentmy evidence. Data for this paper was collected between May and November 2006 and in 2007 and 2009 by observing court proceedings in the Northern Regional House of Chiefs where the dispute is currently pending. Other data came from reviewing archival documents relating to the dispute. Informal conversations and indepth interviews were also held with the two main contestants, some of the kingmakers of the traditional area and with a cross section of the population. The paper argues that though the dispute is essentially a power struggle between two princes for the highest traditional office among the Nanumba, it is also a contest for power between two of Nanim 's most powe1ful kingmakers, the Kpatihi Naa and the Juo Naa. While interrogating the narratives of the two contestants, the paper reveals the changing traditions and the malleability of roles amongst traditional office holders in Nanun.

Research paper thumbnail of The paradox of West African integration: experiences, perceptions and notions of integration among Ghanaians

Research paper thumbnail of The challenge of Fulani pastoralism in Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of Managing Farmer-Herder Conflicts in Ghana’s Volta Basin

IBADAN JOURNAL OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Farmer-herder conflicts have become rather widespread throughout West Africa and constitute a thr... more Farmer-herder conflicts have become rather widespread throughout West Africa and constitute a threat to peace and stability in many countries. This paper examines the management of farmer-herder conflicts in the Volta basin of Ghana. Using information gathered from five communities through the use of participant observation, interviews and focus group discussions, the paper describes the increasing migration of farmers, herders, fishermen and traders into the Volta basin area. The increasing population has accentuated conflicts between farmers and herders as the two groups compete for the use of the resources of the area. The paper also examines in detail the role that the Livestock Farmers Association and other institutions play in mitigating and managing farmer-herder conflicts in the Volta basin.

Research paper thumbnail of Chapter 4 ETHNICITY, IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP OF RECENT MIGRANT GROUPS IN GHANA

Berghahn Books, Dec 31, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Die Rolle des Handels für die Ernährungssicherung der Nomaden: Das Beispiel der Ortschaft Ngoronit

Zeitschrift Fur Ethnologie, 1995

Die traditionellen Ernährungssicherungsmaßnahmen der Nomaden Nordkenias im Rahmen des Herdenmanag... more Die traditionellen Ernährungssicherungsmaßnahmen der Nomaden Nordkenias im Rahmen des Herdenmanagements stoßen aufgrund massiver Landverluste und ande rer Veränderungen in der Umgebung des Nomadismus an die Grenze ihrer Leistungs fähigkeit. Diese Strategien blieben größtenteils auf die Produktion innerhalb eines engen sozialen Kreises und seiner Wirtschaftsform beschränkt. Es sind aber nun auch

Research paper thumbnail of If you don't have money why do you want to be a chief? an analysis of the commercialization of justice in the Houses of Chiefs in Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of The unholy alliance between chiefs and Fulani herdsmen in the middle Volta basin of Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of Chiefs, earth priests and the state: irrigation agriculture, competing institutions and the transformation of land tenure arrangements in Northeastern Ghana

Research paper thumbnail of Becoming a chief is more important than anything else in life

Research paper thumbnail of Agricultural Extension Services and Smallholder Farmers' Indebtedness in Northeastern Ghana

Journal of Asian and African Studies, 1994

Research paper thumbnail of Jeff D. Grischow, Shaping Tradition: civil society, community and development in colonial northern Ghana, 1899–1957. Brill: Leiden (pb €72.00 – 978 9 00415 243 4). 2006, 268 pp

Africa, 2008

in the context of both chiefly rule and European colonialism during the nineteenth and twentieth ... more in the context of both chiefly rule and European colonialism during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He argued that if Muslims pursued both intellectual and spiritual understanding, took personal responsibility for their behaviour and devoted their lives to the community, Islam would thrive under the most difficult of circumstances. Cheikh Babou raises two other important issues in his analysis of the community: the incorporation of lower-class or lesser-caste persons as disciples of the Muridiyya and the position of women, especially their intellectual development, in the tariqa. These deserve greater consideration in future studies of the order. In addition to providing excellent documentation and an extensive bibliography, the book is enhanced by a useful map, five informative tables on lineage relationships, eighteen interesting photographs and a solid index. Cheikh Anta Babou has produced an outstanding, intimate study of the origins, doctrines and development of what is today a vibrant international Sufi movement. It is a fine resource for specialists in Islamic studies and an excellent text for university courses on Islam and Africa.

Research paper thumbnail of State Policies, Local Prejudices and Cattle Rustling Along the Ghana-Burkina Faso Border

Africa, 2000

This article briefly discusses the various factors that gave rise to tension in northern Ghana be... more This article briefly discusses the various factors that gave rise to tension in northern Ghana between Fulbe pastoralists coming in from Burkina Faso and the local Kassena farmers (who have livestock of their own). The Ghanaian government's decision in 1988–89 to expel the Fulbe resulted in more problems, not least the dilemma of how to patrol effectively the permeable borderland and the gradual introduction there of modern firearms. In consequence some argue that it is not the policies of conservation that are being called into question but the government's sovereignty.