Describes the gradual marginalization of the pastoralist way of life during and since the colonial period.

"Pastoralism is a culture, an ancient mode of livestock production and a way of life, which makes extensive use of grazing in the lowlands of eastern Africa and the Horn. However, this culture, form of production and way of life has reached a critical point. A process that began under colonialism - the dispossession of land and the promotion of agriculture - has been continued and accelerated by independent African states in the region. Pastoralism on the Margin shows that the material base of pastoralism has been all but eroded in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and the situation has been exacerbated by climatic change, conflict, disease, drought and famine. The author, John Markakis, argues that the upsurge in development interest in pastoralism has done little to meet pastoralists needs, despite the huge amounts of money poured into the region. He discusses the many changes that have been visited on pastoralist men and women in the area and their way of life, and debates whether pastoralism can survive." -- BACK COVER.

"No continent has ever faced as many changes in such a short period of time and successfully gone through them as Africa has since the mid 20th century (Zeleza, 2008). A number of signs show that Africa is coming of age and attaining the emancipation that many dreamt (Elliott-Stuart, 2010; Elliott-Smith, 2010; Annan, 2010). However there are still issues that need to be resolved, just to name a few: conflicts caused by the excess of resources or by the lack of them; quick development at the expense of environmental degradation; autocratic regimes. The Turkana and Dassenech conflict, though apparently insignificant, is one such issue. Both groups seem to be trapped in a vicious circle of marginalization and violence. Expanding their choices can contribute to reduce conflict just by the mere fact that it will unlock people's potential. It might also revert the vicious circle into a virtuous circle of transformation." -- Introduction.

Pastoralism has shaped livelihoods and landscapes on the African continent for millennia. Mobile livestock husbandry has generally been portrayed as an economic strategy that successfully met the challenges of low biomass productivity and environmental variability in arid and semi-arid environments. This volume focuses on the emergence, diversity, and inherent dynamics of pastoralism in Africa based on research during a twelve-year period on the southwest and northeast regions. Unraveling the complex prehistory, history, and contemporary political ecology of African pastoralism, results in insight into the ingenuity and flexibility of historical and contemporary herders.

A dozen papers from the international conference Resource Competition and Sustainable Development in Eastern and Southern Africa, held in October 1999 at an undisclosed location, investigate whether resource conflicts are structurally inherent in sustainable development. The contributors, social and environmental scientists from Africa and Europe, conclude that sustainable development masks institutions that have to deal with natural resource use, allocation, administration, and management. Distributed by Stylus Publishing. c. Book News Inc.