ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the recent upsurge in various regions of Africa of the notion of 'autochthony' as a virulent political slogan that seems to imply, perhaps almost inevitably, a call for excluding strangers. It discusses the genealogy of 'autochthony' in Africa, notably its role in the imposition of French colonial rule, a crucial link to its present-day upsurge on the continent. The chapter also discusses autochthony's dynamics in post-colonial Africa in the 1990s, in the context of what can be termed the new politics of belonging, using Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire as specific examples. A striking complication was that in many countries incumbent regimes encourage such strife over belonging: the old slogans of nation-building and reinforcement of national citizenship give way rapidly. In Cameroon, autochthony seems to be some sort of rival for citizenship, denying the formal equality of all citizens and defending special forms of access to the state.
