As the plight of refugees around the world looms large as one of the central problems facing the international political community at the beginning of the 21st century, the situations facing displaced persons in Africa are both acute manifestations of this global trend, and unique in their particularities. As the powerful nations of the world are mobilized to tackle domestic conflicts and their ensuing refugee problems in the Balkans, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and elsewhere, African societies have typically been abandoned by the international community to resolving their own conflicts through their own means. The authors of this volume examine both causes and effects of displacement in terms of both local and global politics, environmental risks, socio-economic costs, and policy and identity issues. Combined, these papers provide a powerful if not comprehensive overview of the variety and complexity of circumstances concerning displaced persons.

About Editors and Authors

OHTA Itaru is Professor Emeritus at the Center for African Area Studies, Kyoto University. He obtained a D.Sc. from Kyoto University in 1986, and his research has involved conducting anthropological fieldwork among African pastoralist societies, especially in Kenya and Namibia, focusing on human–animal interactions in livestock herding/husbandry, livestock classification and individual identification, livestock transfer as a medium of social relationships, social change and inter-ethnic conflicts.

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