Constructions of territoriality in the Sahara: the transformation of spaces of transit

Julien Brachet (1)

1 PRODIG - Pôle de recherche pour l'organisation et la diffusion de l'information géographique

In the Sahara, African migrants on their way to Libya or Europe develop a specific form of territoriality based on their apprehension of the ‘otherness' and the ‘exteriority' of the geographical environment they transit. The territorial constructions which are the result of this contribute to the transformation of the way such spaces of transit work as much as the activities that take place in these oases and the infrastructures that emerge in response to the increased trans-Saharan traffic. The analysis of the construction of the territoriality of migrants during their arrival and stay in Agadez and during their subsequent passage through the erg of Ténéré thus allows to study how the migratory streams going through the Sahara leave their socio-spatial imprint on oases of transit.

Mots clés: Sahara; Niger; Mobility; Migration; Territoriality; Oases

Domaines: Géographie

Julien Brachet. Constructions of territoriality in the Sahara: the transformation of spaces of transit. Stichproben. Vienna Journal of African Studies, 2005, 8, pp.237-253. ⟨halshs-00327208⟩