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Primary Patriotism, Shifting Identity: Hometown Associations in Manyu Division, South-West Cameroon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2011

Martin Evans
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Abstract

People's participation in hometown associations reveals a deep sense of belonging to their home place. It has been argued that promotion of this ‘primary patriotism’ by associations is potentially divisive as it may engender parochialism, increase the focus on autochthony, and enhance ethnicization of the political landscape. Contrasting views, however, do not see hometown associations as necessarily inimical to wider social and political cohesion, but as potential sites for civic engagement and citizenship formation at different levels, reflecting the shifting identity that individuals hold. The article explores these issues among the two main tiers of association in Manyu Division, South-West Province, Cameroon. It briefly describes their history and activities, then considers how the identities mobilizing them are constructed in three interlinked ways: geohistorical and genealogical; neotraditional; and national political. It concludes that while these associations occasionally engage in divisive politics in different spheres, analysis needs to balance this against their other activities and relationships. Most hometown associations continue in their original, social role of mutual support among rural–urban migrants, although their expansion into development at home has had more mixed results. Furthermore, concerns about parochialism are often hard to reconcile with the multiple levels of associational life observed.

La participation populaire dans les associations de ressortissants révèle un sens profond d'appartenance au lieu d'origine. Certains soutiennent que la promotion de ce « patriotisme primaire » par les associations a le potentiel de diviser car susceptible d'engendrer le provincialisme, de renforcer l'attention sur l'autochtonie et d'ethniciser le paysage politique encore davantage. D'autres, en revanche, ne considèrent pas les associations de ressortissants comme nécessairement contraires à la cohésion sociale et politique plus large, mais comme des lieux potentiels d'engagement civique et de formation de la citoyenneté à différents niveaux, reflétant l'identité changeante des personnes. L'article examine ces questions au sein des deux principaux niveaux d'association dans le département camerounais de Manyu, dans la province du Sud-Ouest. Il décrit brièvement leur historique et leurs activités, puis s'intéresse à la construction des identités qui les mobilisent, qui s'articule en trois volets interconnectés : géohistorique et généalogique ; néotraditionnel ; et politique national. Il conclut que, même s'il est vrai que ces associations s'engagent parfois dans des activités politiques qui divisent dans différentes sphères, l'analyse doit mettre cet aspect en balance avec leurs autres activités et relations. La plupart des associations de ressortissants poursuivent leur rôle social initial de soutien mutuel au sein de la population migrante rurale-urbaine, bien que leur rôle étendu de développement dans le lieu d'origine ait eu des résultats mitigés. De plus, les craintes de provincialisme sont difficiles à concilier avec les niveaux de vie associative multiples observés.

Type
Research Articles
Information
Africa , Volume 80 , Issue 3 , August 2010 , pp. 397 - 425
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2010

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