Access to land for rural women in Africa : the case of Senegal (from the time of the great kingdoms to the present day)

Access to land for rural women in Africa: the case of Senegal (from the time of the great kingdoms to the present day)African women constitute the vast majority of the continent's agricultural force and produce almost all foodstuffs. Their importance is such in the agricultural sector that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimate that the percentage of employed women in the non-agricultural sector on the African continent is one of the lowest in the world. They are most often left behind. However, this decisive economic role does not translate into real recognition on the legal level. Indeed laws meant to empower women and empower them are often ignored. Custom frequently conflicts with the law and obstructs its application. To understand the springs of this phenomenon, it is necessary to seek the reasons for which the practices based on the custom are maintained, putting in failure the emancipatory projects. So from the case of Senegal this doctoral thesis aims to trace the evolution of legal rules governing women's access to land in rural environment. The first part focuses on studying the genesis of legal inequalities based on gender with regard to access to land. It is a complex historical legacy constituted by the meeting between traditional law (before and after the expansion of Islam) and the legislation of the colonial times. The second part analyzes how the governments of independent Senegal have managed this right bequeathed by history while striving to respect the egalitarian standards promoted by the international community.African women constitute the vast majority of the continent's agricultural force and produce almost all foodstuffs. Their importance is such in the agricultural sector that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimate that the percentage of employed women in the non-agricultural sector on the African continent is one of the lowest in the world. They are most often left behind. However, this decisive economic role does not translate into real recognition on the legal level. Indeed laws meant to empower women and empower them are often ignored. Custom frequently conflicts with the law and obstructs its application. To understand the springs of this phenomenon, it is necessary to seek the reasons for which the practices based on the custom are maintained, putting in failure the emancipatory projects. So from the case of Senegal this doctoral thesis aims to trace the evolution of legal rules governing women's access to land in rural environment. The first part focuses on studying the genesis of legal inequalities based on gender with regard to access to land. It is a complex historical legacy constituted by the meeting between traditional law (before and after the expansion of Islam) and the legislation of the colonial times. The second part analyzes how the governments of independent Senegal have managed this right bequeathed by history while striving to respect the egalitarian standards promoted by the international community.
L'accès à la propriété foncière pour les femmes rurales en Afrique : le cas du Sénégal (de l'époque des grands royaumes à nos jours). Les femmes africaines constituent la grande majorité de la force agricole du continent et produisent presque toutes les denrées alimentaires. Leur importance est telle dans le secteur agricole que l’Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economique (OCDE) estime que le pourcentage de femmes salariées dans le secteur non agricole sur le continent africain est l’un des plus faibles du monde. Ces dernières sont le plus souvent laissées pour compte. Pourtant, ce rôle économique déterminant ne se traduit pas par une véritable reconnaissance sur le plan juridique. En effet, les lois censées émanciper les femmes et leur permettre d’atteindre une certaine autonomie sont souvent ignorées. La coutume entre fréquemment en contradiction avec la loi et fait obstacle à son application. Pour comprendre les ressorts de ce phénomène, il faut rechercher les raisons pour lesquelles les pratiques fondées sur la coutume se sont maintenues, mettant en échec les projets émancipateurs. Ainsi, à partir du cas du Sénégal, cette thèse vise à retracer l’évolution des règles juridiques encadrant l’accès des femmes à la terre en milieu rural. La première partie s’attache à retracer la genèse des inégalités juridiques fondées sur le genre au regard de l’accès à la terre. Il s’agit d’un héritage historique complexe, constitué par la rencontre entre le droit traditionnel (antérieur et postérieur à l’expansion de l’Islam) et la législation de l’époque coloniale. La seconde partie analyse comment les gouvernements du Sénégal indépendant ont géré ce droit légué par l’histoire tout en s’efforçant de respecter les normes égalitaires promues par la communauté internationale.