Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Cooper-Knock, S. J.
• Owen, Olly

Titel

Government paper: the negotiated production and life of state documents

Ist Teil von

• Canadian journal of African studies, 2018-09, Vol.52 (3), p.269-287

Ort / Verlag

Toronto: Routledge

Erscheinungsjahr

2018

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• This introduction provides the rationale for a fresh look at an apparently obvious phenomenon - the production and life of state documents. Whilst ethnographies of statehood have multiplied in recent years, we focus on an underexplored avenue of inquiry: the role played by pieces of paper in constituting modern bureaucratic states. To date, attempts to map out this area of study have focused predominantly on the discourse and semiotics of state documentation. Our work goes further, discussing not just what is on such paper but also its shifting materiality, meaning and social significance throughout its production, circulation and preservation or destruction. These discussions deepen our understanding of statehood, sovereignty and power across Africa, with our part special issue drawing particularly on research in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.