Border Zone Trade and the Economic Boundaries of the State in North-East Ghana

Abstract Focusing on the tri-juncture of Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso, this article examines the role of cross-border traders in the construction and redefinition of international boundaries. Through the study of the social and spatial patterning of trade surrounding three commodities–imported cloth, beans and shea butter (karite)—it explores the multiple ways the border is endowed with or deprived of significance. When the border is viewed as a socio-geographic region the importance of popular practice to the on-going constitution of state power and presence becomes evident. Résumé Cet article examine, dans la zone de jonction entre le Ghana, le Togo et le Burkina Faso, le rôle des commerçants transfrontaliers dans la construction et la redefinition des frontières internationales. A travers l'étude des modèles sociaux et spatiaux des échanges commerciaux de trois marchandises, à savoir le tissu, le haricot et le beurre de karité, il étudie les aspects multiples de l'importance ou de l'insignifiance que revêt la frontière. Lorsque la frontière est considérée comme une région sociogéographique, l'importance de la pratique populaire quant à la constitution continuelle du pouvoir et de la présence étatiques devient manifeste.

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