Routledge Handbook of African Borderlands

The Routledge Handbook of African Borderlands provides a comprehensive analysis of the factors shaping the past, present, and future of African borderlands, in all their complexity.

Since precolonial times, African borderlands have served as sites of both prosperity and conflict. In the 21st century, many African countries have simultaneously seen an increase in trade and regional integration activities, while trying to control deteriorating security conditions in border areas. This book explores these tensions and considers how borderlands have impacted the economy, political stability, and social cohesion of African states. The book discusses the key conceptual debates related with the establishment of modern boundaries since precolonial times, as well as the methodological challenges associated with conducting research at the margins of the state.

This important interdisciplinary and continent-wide investigation of African border dynamics will be an essential read for researchers across the fields of political science, geography, history, anthropology, international law, and development studies.

Dr Olivier Walther is Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Florida, United States. His research focuses on cross-border trade and transnational armed conflicts in Africa.

Dr Inocent Moyo is SARCHi Research Chair in Borders and the African Continental Free Trade Area and Full Professor at the University of Zululand, South Africa. He researches borders, migration, and the political economy of the informal economy in the Southern African region.

Dr Isabella Soi is Associate Professor of African Studies at the Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. Her research focuses on border issues, refugee movements, and religious and national minorities in Africa, particularly in Uganda.