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    Patrimonialism Postcolonial Africa

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    Alice Soares Guimarães

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    Patrimonialism, Neo-patrimonialism and the Study of the Post-colonial State i Subsaharian Africa Jean-Frangols Médard Weser's approsch was intially intodvcal ia the study of ‘Afcan politic through the se of the Meal 7p of charismatic oninaton. The existence of historical found fathers such 2 Sslou Tou, Nrumak, Kenyatts or Hoephovet Boigy te heads of the newly independent sates jresebly invited an. fanalsls ofthis Lind, for certain numberof the new political Syoems However with time, the charsma Became routine, the founding faters died, and the lack of sharma of their sucescors, i you except Rawlings and Senkare, was obvious. The ‘dex of parimonilsm for the study of tied word pois was {us intodaced by Gunther Roth in 196%, flowed by Samuel isastadt in 19732, Assoon ab 1966, Aristide Zolters introduced. ‘hie notion to Alc in his book Creating pial oder Tt was 1 gear fe era. rete, Roeetn mteo jg bt, erie, Soar ae ora ge Reva apt, Seely Hise Lode, Spe hinge Pres Bos Sain addon, Cs Haagen Pokey of See eae Saige i fe a erase benoit cals, See iar ie Mis aarti anode aie apr, uy bare Sh pa Nie Jonna Mad Afican Sti, 184 198 ppeS7-CPt bdo, ” ot until the eighties however that this {ype of interpretation became widespread Ie war diffcuit fo it it ilo. the evelopmental approach, according to which, a change fn Uusdional modes of domination to legal atonal ons was tobe fspactd and ot the reverse. It did at it into the dependency Spprosch ether which focused an the international economical ‘Stem eather than en internal pots When the dependency School started t6 deal with the Afican tte heir manisn 2 roe prevented them from considering it eerily, Dacing the pesod which wae ideologically and intellectually. dominated By mans Max Weber, with ach exaggeration, was eeldared at 4 hind of anit marsh a Kind of cee my. ‘Todays dominant ileclogial and intelectual schoo, rational choice, Is leding. » crusade against the stato which Is, Considered ae “rent seeking” in eee, But does not really take s eiference between sucssfl and faled sates, «legal ‘ial. sfate anda palrimonial one, for instance, the Norwegian kingdom or Mobuts Zaire What is pethaps mre Important is that it sed t be improper to emphariee patrmonilsm ee corruption i he wavlungs of the African Fate You might be Inbeled ethnocensc or even ware racist René Dumont Flse ser! it Africa, in is own too moralistic way, was the first book to point out the problemas ely as 19, bt wae not well rceveda not inthe incest of he ‘en Afscan countries to draw attntion 1 It since they were Ale or nae participants to corruption, Inthe eighties, the failure of development policies and of the state, Which ae strongly connected, became’ 50 clear that even the international organizations relized that adminiteaive and politcal factors instead of beng taken for granted, had to De dealt with seriously fom the standpoint of development: 10 Lae Se Sagar Sak WC caine ie a Sones eens ikects nad! Selatan Rac eid Rite wnat SSE Stina ata aas Fame epi Iu nctoroement delamination if Seat teen sh A Sees he uti tt tl evra do SR Seer ame bg Ee oem am ee n evelopment without gro governance, This it when the notion of pattmoniliem started be widely used, under various ‘ames sich as patrimenialism, neo-patimonialis, corruption, Drebeidalis, rent seeking, predatory state, or “belly Pelt”. Even though all thy designations belonged 1 {ferent approaches, they pointed at the sue phencmenc ‘his paper about this Phenomenon in Africa, the. waye of Inbelrg and its interpreation I il start wit the ides of the parimonialisauon ofthe Alscan stale which helps we fo define it asa neo-paturenial state, and nota patrimonil sate The neo-patmenial sate is a kind of centadictory and vaslable “combination of patimonial “and legal ational Alominstins will ten explore what hae boo called by Zaki Eras he "commen patrimonial core of the African state Lastly Iwill comme onthe contradictions of patrimonialsm, Wich canbe considered both as lading to the aire of the inte, or even toils dislution, and a2 @ mode of political regulation, ‘The Patrimonialization of the African State The Afican state & not a patrimonial state, it ie @ pationilied sate, and thi is why itis bate tall no. patrimonial ‘According to Max Weber, there ore three diferent typet of Gominition lega-rationa, charsmetic and traditional”. The dea of domination combines legitimacy and a specific mode of feverish authority. Legal-ational domination is based en an {mperional rule. Charismatic domination zelers 1 he prestige ofa poron becsuee of his eninordinary qualities, With tradisenal domination, legitimacy is based cn the belie in the Seced characer of immemorial traditions As 5 mele of feeshg. power, tadilional authonty always implies & ombiration of discretionary power and submission to radional Ep Aan wht Ln Ha tn Pa arn a ae eam te spent terres en ee eee m Jatt Mats ” ams and customs: Max Weber distinguishes between three ‘diferent but strongly connected forms of traditional domination: patearchal, patrnonial and feudal. The patriarchal Sfominaton is Uased ana srct personal loyally, and atc the ‘obedience to abstrect and impersonal uso nthe che of lege {ational domination. Its entenched inthe mast’s authority ‘ver his household. in the case of kinship societies, the elders fre the "eres in charge of the domestic group, With triarchalism, the autherty is exercised by a Single man a= the head of the household, which sncades nat ony king, bul algo servants, clin or saves Pateimonialiam first appears with politcal difereatition When a patrimonial chief exercises his authority beyond is ‘Sun dame group, hit selon" over people who ae ve lager Teatves ce servants. With the correlated nerese in sale of ‘the social unit nthonty cannot be exercised directly and mut bemedated by administalive officers, penonal stairs, ike servants relatives slaves or cllens. It ay at fst lok ike © simple decentralization ofthe household, when the patriarch Seles hi dependens in far off places. In. this case, Peleimonialism’ is inchaded im patriarchaliem. It may also Eomespend ts the station of conqueror wh ets down oa the land fe has cxequered He will then rule his kingsom ae he ‘would manage Ris private domi. He. will rely an a ‘ministrative staf of servants who will be given ties and ‘offices, pretends or benefice in onder t9malntin, themselves while ‘administrating their masters” properties. This i how ‘Max Weber characterizes the patrimontl ystems “The eject of obedience isthe personal authority of the individual Which he enjoys by virtue of his traditional status The organized group exercising authority in the Simplest case primaly based on relations ef personal loyalty, cultivated through a common proces of education. The person evercsing math nat superioe ‘uta personal chet Hiv administrative staff does nck consist primarily of officals, but of personal retainers, ‘These suf 10 authority” are not” members of any ‘eociations, but ae ether hie aditooal come o¢ i fsbjecn. What’ determines the elas ofthe siministative staff to the chief is ot the impersonal ‘Sbligatons of ofe, but personal lyely to the cic” Intl ease, there & no distinction betwen th puble inglom and the private domain, the private servani snd the. public ‘tir the publ purse snd the’ private pure The very eence ‘of patrimonialsn conte inthe iden tat “the. whole {goverment authority andthe economeeights which comespond {0 tend to be tented a6 privately appropriated. comomie adiantages, and furthermore that "govembent powers and (heir associated advantages are treated as pivats rights" Thee is mo distinction between pubbe and private. Law Although ‘Max Weber didnot relly of a systematic lefrition of patrimonilism, it can be undisoed from the shove quotations that We defining caracterstic of petra the absence ofa datintion buween the pubic End'the private domain. The implies conkaion betwecn the. Palle and the private sphere, in spite of the fact that Etzuctual dliferentiton Beieen what is public and what = private exits Patimenialism extends the logis of patrarchslsm beyond the: limits of inship and of the domestic household Feudal domination i a borderline case of pateimoniaem in the sense that iti 3 military. teed and decengalize fom of peti ‘menial. Ite based on peronal loyally. pasimonilisn, Dutbowh the lord and the’ vasal are patrimonial chit and they ate bound by quasi contracual recipreal tes, Weber ‘wries: “feudalism is'a marginal cae of patimonialism that tenes toward stereotyped and fined relationships between lord ‘and vavealT2 Feudal domination coresponds in tht case fo one ofthe possible transformations of parionalisn ‘Theconfusion between the private and the public sector, which {sat the heart of putimonialsm and als of feodaism, le Dradely the main characterise of Alcan plitcallife, and {hs is Why patimonalism is relevant to be shdy of the 5 Mx Weber Boonie Sait opt. pt 9MixWeber Sonoma op p52 iden ps Ren pio eon ded Aican states. As I shall endeavour t show, i is 4 sip dee ‘whlch has the advantage of suming » variety of different, bbutconnete practises uch as nepean cleneism, pattonage prebendalism friendship les, tbl, etane-regionalisn, fod corruption, Which, im vanous degrees, are part of African polit ie, Most ofthe cicems directed at the patton Spprosch of African states canbe explained by the lnabiity to {ep lis ature, and the lack of 2 proper understanding. of ‘Weber's comparative methodology based on the ideal ype This {athe is often share by both the ter of the concept ae hele cries. Many authors quan the applicability of the concept because ofits generality, This the case of Robin Theabald ‘who ences the tundscrninate application of patrimoniaism torany society, saa catchall concept which then locos is fnalylcel power!*. What he erties in fact is ot Dtumonilism as such but rather the way iti wad. The sane ind of argument is chosen by Richard Jeph who suggest to replace patrimoniaism by prebendisism, another and mote restrictive weberian notion! Ifthe nation of prebend can be ‘very effectively transposed tothe Aftican sat, itis fact st tone among other patrimonal practices It can be considered = Alsineive case of patronage’ when a public servant ce/and & poltical ‘send or follower is named atthe head. of ¢ Parasia, one might say tat hei offered the paraeatal as 3 Dreberd ora beelc, it onder to maintain Mansell Ths into fhe right to aphon off the resources of the parastatal for hie cum use. Richard Joseph followed by JeanFrangos Bayart tho consider that patrimonilism is eo vast a generalization tod is “mbung diferent kinds of practies ner a gene Iabel"™6, He prefers to tse the narower noon of probendal politics an one hand, and sugges the larger noon of “belly plies” onthe other hand. The noon of “belly politics” is ‘more an image than a concept and as such tis appaling beease itean grasps plurality of meanings, When he characterises as the tendency to boos wealthy of rather the tendency for 13 Om te dbcunion abt patina see -P Métar, Eats dialogue nae op ct, spas Le Theta Paton, Wold Pl, 56, 5. Atyypell a he Sd Rpt Cd CSnkee Univer Ps, Se} aa, Vea Aga npg vei, Pa, Pye Parton, primitive accumuation by every means", we come very low to the idea of comapton or ofpattnonalish Ii true that thie ‘ten canbe applied beyond the sphere of Ue palit chutes ‘or towitcharalt Indeed itean be wel and necesary to ake into ‘Seoul indigenous representations. But what tvs appreach, {ain in specific It looses i comparability. This preciely what Bayart is crtizing, when he speaks derogatively of “nat compara" If this ast espression can te sed propery to descae Almonds approach to comparative polis, {here ls noting “flat” about Max Weber's methodology asthe reading of is Second volume of Eanomy se Sokty shows In reality it is the very generally of the conepl of patrols which makes seul provided iti sed an Enalytcal means of observing and interpreting. concrete and fmprical political reality without reliving the concpt and using the sbsrat model with reality. The way Max Weber Fimcal applies the ideal type of ptrimonialiem #0 = many radially diferent poliial sytene such ae Egypt the Chinese fd Byzantine empires, the Merovingian Kinga or European abcolite monarchies, without reduang them to sme kin! oF Staneardized notion, demonstrates that the genealty of the ‘oncpt can be heursially contenied to the singulity of historical situations. Weber's methodology can help us to deal withthe necessary tension between universalism and telat ‘The forms taken by patimoniaism vary. geet frm one Iistercal and cultura background to another In the. Afscan case his can be undentond by taking into acount the logis of pateinonlalim, the seuctre of opportunities and constraint, the various uses of dillerent patimonisl practices, the Strategies and the representations of actors, the discrepancies betwen the model and reality owaver, the application of patnonislsm whic, it mus ot be frgtien Is a mode of tadiional domination to medem politcal systema as led many scholars to une the notion of no patrimonalism instead ofthe one of paonali. Ie appear {hat it is important to isinguish ‘between. contempsary ‘Atnean polital systems and traditional political systems ‘Atran Stes are not identical to Metovingan ingore to fama He Absolute monarchies Contrasting traditional patimonialisen ‘with medem neo-patelmonisimy allows ws to avod the exo of historicity. This choir has bon criticied by other scholars ‘oho prefer to lick tothe tion of patron, 1 must be noted that Max Weber Nase took into account the case of pulimonialom. without traditional, legitimacy. He fefers to What he calle “rllaism" when dscetonary powes, Characteristic of patrimomialiam, Is not checked and limited by traditional raens and caster This ie what oflen Bappens 18 Polite eystems based on conquest andl pure itary povre I it thon preferable to we the term of sultan’ instead of patimoialisn, since present day Acan patmonilsm seeme fo comspend rather well tothe case described by Max Weber? ‘The terminology wed here by Weber seane too historically dated. What in more important, the soe of the tenn neo patrimonialism has the advantage of poating out the radical Iistorieal. diferences between the past and the preset. The present Wester states, characterized by an important eee of Tegal rationality have been developed fem an overlapping of feodal and petvimanal Kingdoms which transformed thro3gh ‘the centuries into approximations of the legal rational and bureaucrat model. When Weber refers to absolute monarchies in Barope, hike Louie XIV's kingdom, he speaks of bureaucratic pteimonialism. Teta ay to tees the mised dual natuze of {estat which combines in se Huo contradictory logs, the logic of burenuercy andthe logic of patrimonialin For example, Ifthe “Intndants” are somehow the scrrs ofthe former “bali” andthe anctstors of the modern prefects, the sidmistraive ofces ae sil sold 1 make mane forthe war ‘The two contradictory forms coexist sd are articulated together inthe same system Now, if we chooie to tum to the African state, we discover nother mixed frm, combining burearacy sn patimoniali, the product of radically diferent historical trajectory, I it Europe the legal rational state proceeds fom the iu Palrimonial state, itis the reverse which has happened in ‘Atria an approximation of legal rational state (fact 2 rather mined sate) was exported to. Arca through Pavnosalan o colonslzation!®, 1 was with the colonization that Africa Siscovered both the modem bureaucatic andthe terstoral State. fot this state wor already partly pateimonalized. duane olntsaton. . Fremignci has convincingly demonststed that the stite i French colonies war closer (0 the sate of the “Ancient Regine” thin to the state of the Third. Republic ‘Aer independance, the bureaucratic apparatus f9¢ ‘considerably developed, even over developed. Ard atthe same ‘Se, seas ptrimonialied It became over developed toe for ptrinonial than burewcratic Teasons. In reality, both the Dureaueratzaion and the pstrimonialioation of the. state proceed together. I is in this sense that we cn speak of the iinleations were being multiplied, they were being Patrimonialized at the sume tine, that it privately and Informally appropriated by” thelr agents This ‘atrimonislization of the atte’ hes brought about “neo Patrimonial” stale, a kind of Iybrid of pstrimonstin and Dessay The formal sacture ofthe sate is bureaucrat @ ‘walter law exits, the iil servants are recited through vamicatons, but there i mo real state of law and the Taretning of the state i largely patimonialized. The use of the prof "neo" helps us to speiy that we are facing. an ‘original Nstovical mixed type which must not be considered 86 sn ides type2.Paeimoniaism Is the ideal typeof zeerence ‘The degree of approximation ofthe African state tothe ideal {ype ol patients depends onthe vavious states Mobs Zaie's {or was) very closet the ideal type, and sn qualily a= fs sulunierpatrimonial state, The degree of approximation of {he idea state foreach state varies, ill we agro with, The {general statement that the Adscan state is noo-patrimonial In {his ste, neo-patiimonialisa is the statisheally medal ‘haraceristic of the African stat, It comesponds io he Mighest 1 tg cnn ml el Ea. SCON, Betuntnution tagse 1995 ppaseisss” ee 20 ea, fa colo an, cur, mys a reals Coenen ‘tine Unies" ars ulin Serengeti ater tte ote abate op pp HF Fate antag re ‘roquency. The relatively low level of pationialisn in sate ike Botswana should prevent we fom cling il eo- ptrimonlal. The relatively ‘high level of patrimonlallmy in most African states, together with the fact that they are nol ‘ormatively oriented by tndional legitimacy, jute the te ofthis Iabe. Much depends then en the penona norms and Personality of the leader. If ve adopt this noton of neo Detrimoniaism, it has to be defined et only as the lack of ‘Estinguishing between the public and private domains, bat also ‘8 the non respect ofthis isncion whan ls made. in the pare Petrone suation, the distinction dose not exist inthe eo Detemonial siuntion the catntion is made, but rarely {nteralize, and even when ti i not respected. This us of the prefix “moo” has bean eritcized by several Scholars. Iwill ot insist on Big’s ert? in which he dows rot make clear whether hei against we in general cr in the cae of Central Arca only, and who lacks aft understanding of Max Weber wstings The comments of Alain Mescheriskel fre much mare elevant beesue there as lack of ela frst presentation of neo-pattanonalm: Twas somewhat confusing the ideal type andthe maxed type. He avers that Tam ung the pref nao in an anbigaus way because it ean Ihave fo menirgs: either a resurgence in the present of an patrimoniaom and modem conceptions ofthe sate This why Ihe prefers to stick to patimonalis, In any case] consider that {in tterpreting neo patrimonilim only af tise cd nodal form, and not as an ideal type, there can be no more ambiguity? Aller” having dstingsished neo-ptrimonialia fom patrimonialism, we must row analyse the. patimonial core ‘which ls common to all afrcan tate 2 ig Power china on Cntr. Pl Kanal 396 BP seer op cs ppt. gure suntust ot ones petals of Sonal ie see Sijyad Barve (i9e8 1991), These Scence polteqe, Universe de Pact Wye deF Adour Parmonison, ‘The Common Patrimonial Core Wie wil start by charactezing the logics of patrimonialsm else zeviewing the patimonsl prec. ‘The logics of patrimoniaism Fron; the definition of patrimenialise characterized by the ‘onfion between the public andthe private scion, we ean raw two consequences the fis ene i the personalization of pever private means personal, the saad ne 6 the lick of ‘terention between what is politeal and what is crore Economic and potical resources wealth and pola! power are ively exchangeable. Ths is very lear when you comsider the behavior of the Alican politcan the African “big man”, Powers preonalised instead of being intitutonaized iy the serut that no distinction is made between the oifce and the ‘charge of the office, They. are formally and ructurally diterentiated, but not fancionnally. The public fice Is thus privatized by the ofcer inthe sence thal the Puble officer tsee i ae hus private posesion The on be (Sbserved at every level af the Stale, fram the top to the Bett. Politeal “relauons, as soaal relations| in Africa, are Pertoalind. The state does ot exist as an abstraction. Every Eger ofthe state ees is public psition to extract enuces ‘fom the state o fom the people Ihe ls policeman, be will extort money from the txt drivers f be is schoolmaster he will ak for babe ora goat to register the cildren in school If he isthe heed of « parstatal he will sel the money fom the ‘corporation Al the lop of the state personalied power beers personal rule the state is appropriated by is ruler and hie ‘oerage Every ruler bulds and manages hi own system oF personal power within and ovtside the state to actumulate Polleal tod economical sour: it i tanks this petsonal ‘network which intitater the party and the tate apparatus, that he can control the state, extract resoures for Bis ou And maintain is own network, ‘The sxcond point is that becuse of the low degre of

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