(Re)naming the Cantons, Re-exerting Authority: Ambiguous Decentralization Reforms and the Nature of Power in Rural Chad

In Chad, 1990s decentralization reforms increased the number and importance of customary authorities. The official purpose of these reforms was to decentralize power, but among customary authorities and local elites they triggered political competitions that ended up reasserting the role and legitimacy of the central state. Examining the renaming of a canton in central Chad, this article analyzes the reasons that make state recognition important for customary authorities and the people they represent. It shows how customary authorities need constantly to reassert their legitimacy to secure access to rights and resources for their inhabitants; this need creates a local political arena where customary actors mainly compete among themselves for recognition, rather than critically challenging the authoritarian modalities of state governance.