This project will examine how the market economy affects pastoral systems in Africa, specifically focusing on traditional institutions of mutual aid among the Fulani of Far North Province (Cameroon). Mutual aid institutions, particularly livestock loans, are interpreted as a redistributive mechanism that shapes access to the means of production (herds) and to stock friendships (social capital); they ensured survival and successful environmental adaptation among pastoralists prior to market integration. The research will examine how commoditization and economic diversification are altering the moral economy (non-market) and how Fulani pastoralists experience these changes. Two groups of Fulani, one sedentary and one pastoral, will be compared to measure differences in market involvement, economic diversification, wealth and inheritance, social networks, and mutual aid. The research addresses how traditional non-market economies are being integrated into markets, and how this reshapes their social institutions. Methods include participant observation, interviewing, and free-recall listings.
