Estado, Autoridades Tradicionais e Legitimidade Política: os parâmetros de um «casamento de conveniência» em Mandlakazi

It is commonly accepted that the current process of «political modernization» in Mozambique has given increased visibility and importance to the problems concerningthe relationship between State and the Traditional Authorities.In face of the resilience of Traditional Authorities as mediation agencie...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Vitor Alexandre Antunes Lourenço
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Instituto Universitário de Lisboa 2005-05-01
Series:Cadernos de Estudos Africanos
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/cea/1068
Description
Summary:It is commonly accepted that the current process of «political modernization» in Mozambique has given increased visibility and importance to the problems concerningthe relationship between State and the Traditional Authorities.In face of the resilience of Traditional Authorities as mediation agencies between the present and the past, the State cannot afford to ignore their presence in the political landscape. The picture is rather complex: however predominantlybased on a modern political apparatus, the State also tries to include the Traditional Authorities under its umbrella, thus seeking to benefit both from «modern» and «traditional» political legitimization. Traditional Authorities, on the other hand, while fighting to keep control over their communities on their own terms, are nevertheless eager to capture some of the State resources, to increase their ability to maintainthe old ruling patterns, based on the existence of a clientelist network nurtured through the redistribution of wealth and positions of power.
ISSN:1645-3794
2182-7400