Saharan migrant camel herders: Znaga social status and the global age

Saharan migrant camel herders: Znaga social status and the global age

Author: 
Freire, Francisco
Publisher: 
Cambridge University Press
Date published: 
2014
Record type: 
Journal Title: 
Journal of Modern African Studies
Source: 
Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 52, No.3, September 2014, pp. 425 - 446
Abstract: 

In the late 20th century, 300 Mauritanian shepherds travelled to the United Arab Emirates in order to tend the herds of some of that country's most prominent leaders. These low-tech subjects of global migration flows were particularly valued and sought after by their Emirati employers for their expertise in raising camels. I analyse the forms and consequences of this migration, focusing on the reintegration of these shepherds into Mauritanian stratified tribal spheres following their return to the Sahara. The possibility of a change in their social status (after a financially rewarding experience in the Gulf) will be a central theme of this article. This issue arises from the pervasive designation of these shepherds as a ‘tributary’ (znaga) group, through the application of the tripartite social model that, to a large extent, still defines Mauritania's arabophone population.

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CITATION: Freire, Francisco. Saharan migrant camel herders: Znaga social status and the global age . : Cambridge University Press , 2014. Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 52, No.3, September 2014, pp. 425 - 446 - Available at: https://library.au.int/saharan-migrant-camel-herders-znaga-social-status-and-global-age-5