Social network research in Africa

Marks, Zoe; Stys, Patrycja

doi:10.1093/afraf/ady067

Cited by 23 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…This often entails the creation of a series of “fake dichotomies, oppositions and potential choices” of affiliation that “in fact spring from an extremely limited number of options” (De Boeck & Baloji 2016, 114). Not only is the shifting associational life of Dar es Salaam more ephemeral than it had previously been then, it is also more fragmented: as Kate Meagher (2010) articulates in the context of Nigeria, livelihood networks are increasingly “defined by an individual’s portfolio of ties, rather than by collective arrangements,” arguably serving to “exacerbate rather than reduce vulnerability” (Meagher 2009, 2; Marks & Stys 2019, 5–6).…”

Section: Associational Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

Flags and Shields: Muslim Socialities and Informal Livelihoods in Dar es Salaam

Kirby

2020

City & Society

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In this article, I explore entanglements of Muslim sociality and informal livelihoods in Dar es Salaam. I propose that Muslim practices of affiliation deserve to be counted among the ordinary strategies that urban majorities employ to navigate the city amidst conditions of uncertainty. Building on Stephan Lanz and Martijn Oosterbaan's (2016) work on "entrepreneurial religion," I draw on fifteen months of ethnographic research in Kariakoo, a super-dense market district at the center of the city. The first part of my analysis explores associational life in Dar es Salaam, combining a historical overview with ethnographic description. I explore how urban actors use affiliations to football teams and political parties to generate livelihood opportunities and to secure protection. The second part of my analysis uses emic notions of "flags" (bendera) and "shields" (ngao) to demonstrate that Muslim modes of association operate in strikingly similar ways to those pertaining to football and politics. Engaging with the conceptual vocabularies of AbdouMaliq Simone and Erving Goffman, as well as recent debates about "everyday" and "lived Islam," this article foregrounds the interplay between religious forms and neoliberal processes of informalization as they are unfolding in African cities and beyond.

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Section: Associational Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

Flags and Shields: Muslim Socialities and Informal Livelihoods in Dar es Salaam

Kirby

2020

City & Society

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“…First, networks may play a positive role in the policy realm in LICs, where weak state capacity and opaque institutional processes may occur. Some scholars have asserted that those conditions lead networks to undermine development ( van de Walle, 2001 ) and ‘exacerbat[e] horizontal inequality, marginalization, and corruption’ ( Marks and Stys, 2019 ). Yet, in our specific case, network relations fostered the power needed to promote policies that provided the public good of increased mental health care and decreased stigma (Interviews 13, 15, 16, 19).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wielding power through networks may be more likely to occur in LICs because weak formal institutions and limited economic resources restrict the state’s exercise of power through laws or budgets. In the absence of state power, network power builds on societal norms of reciprocity and interdependence that shape decision-making ( Mkandawire, 2015 ; Marks and Stys, 2019 ). Network relations may be rooted in expertise, information and shared narratives, resources that can undergird power.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network power and mental health policy in post-war Liberia

Patterson,

Clark,

Rogers

2024

Health Policy and Planning

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This article traces the influence of network power on mental health policy in Liberia, a low-income, post-conflict West African country. Based on key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis, the work uses an inductive approach to uncover how a network of civil society groups, government officials, diasporans, and international NGOs shaped the passage, implementation, and revision of the country’s 2009 and 2016 mental health policies. With relations rooted in ties of information, expertise, resources, commitment, and personal connections, the network coalesced around a key agent, the Carter Center, which connected members and guided initiatives. Network power was evident when these actors channeled expertise, shared narratives of post-war trauma and mental health as a human right, and financial resources to influence policy. Feedback loops appeared as policy implementation created new associations of mental health clinicians and service users, research entities, and training institutes. These beneficiaries offered the network information from lived experiences, while also pressing their own interests in subsequent policy revisions. As the network expanded over time, some network members gained greater autonomy from the key agent. Network power outcomes included the creation of government mental health institutions, workforce development, increased public awareness, civil society mobilization, and a line for mental health in the government budget, though concerns about network overstretch and key agent commitment emerged over time. The Liberian case illustrates how networks need not be inimical to development, and how network power may facilitate action on stigmatized, unpopular issues in contexts with low state capacity. A focus on network power in health shows how power can operate not only through discrete resources such as funding but also through the totality of assets that network linkages make possible.

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“…Power is an inherently relational concept. In recent times, relational analyses have become more prominent as a way to study politics (Marks and Stys 2019). While much of the literature has used the term ‘network’ metaphorically, few researchers have so far empirically studied patterns of elite interaction (Keller 2016; Osei 2018).…”

Section: Network Influence and Powermentioning

confidence: 99%

Personal Power in Africa: Legislative Networks and Executive Appointments in Ghana, Togo and Gabon

Osei

Wigmore-Shepherd²

2022

Gov. & oppos.

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Personal relations and networks have long been argued to dominate African politics. Since personal power is difficult to measure, much of the literature has remained either anecdotal or has used ethnicity to approximate power distributions. This article is proposing a social network approach to the analysis of personal power in legislatures and cabinets in three cases: Ghana, Togo and Gabon. We combine survey data on parliamentary discussion networks with a new data set on cabinet appointments. We find that power accumulation in one institution correlates with power accumulation in the other in all three countries, irrespective of the level of democracy: individuals build up a unique power base to advance their careers. We also find differences between the modes of power accumulation and elite integration across our cases. Our findings could stimulate new debates on personal power, regime survival and elite reproduction across different regimes.

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Social network research in Africa

Cited by 23 publications

References 0 publications

Flags and Shields: Muslim Socialities and Informal Livelihoods in Dar es Salaam

Flags and Shields: Muslim Socialities and Informal Livelihoods in Dar es Salaam

Network power and mental health policy in post-war Liberia

Personal Power in Africa: Legislative Networks and Executive Appointments in Ghana, Togo and Gabon

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