Reimagining Legal Pluralism in Africa

Balancing Indigenous, State, and Religious Laws

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This collection challenges the prevailing conflict of laws approach to the interaction of state and indigenous legal systems. It introduces adaptive legal pluralism as an alternative framework that emphasises dialogue and engagement between these legal systems. By exploring a dialogic approach to legal pluralism, the authors shed light on how it can effectively address the challenges stemming from the colonial imposition of industrial legal systems on Africa’s agrarian political economies.

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Anthony C. Diala, Ph.D. (2016), is a distinguished Professor of African law and Director of the Centre for Legal Integration in Africa at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Renowned for his research, he specialises in legal pluralism, comparative law, and human rights in Africa.

Christa Rautenbach, LL.D. (2001), is a distinguished Professor of Law at the North-West University, South Africa. A leading scholar in legal pluralism and succession law, she has authored and edited key publications, such as "Introduction to Legal Pluralism in South Africa" (LexisNexis, 2021, 5th ed).
Foreword

Acknowledgements

Notes on Contributors

1 Introduction
  Anthony C. Diala and Christa Rautenbach

Part 1
Succession in African Legal Pluralism
2 State Intervention in the Customary Law of Succession in South Africa: What Remains of Customary Norms in the “Rainbow Nation”?
  Christa Rautenbach

3 The Communal Nature of the South African Customary Law of Succession: Developments in the 21st Century
  Fatima Osman

Part 2
Marriage in African Legal Pluralism
4 Balancing Customary Practices and Human Rights in the Proposed Single Marriage Bill
  Rita Ozoemena, George Fordam Otieno Wara and Khupi Ramarumo

5 Recognition of Woman-to-Woman Marriage under State Laws and African Customary Laws
  Adeniyi Olatunbosun and Samson Odetayo

6 Constitutional Transformation of the Customary Marriage Laws of the Batswana Tribe
  Boitumelo Mmusinyane

Part 3
Islamic and Comparative Law in African Legal Pluralism
7 The Past, Present, and Future of Muslim Personal Law in Ghana: A Judicial Analysis
  Yüksel Sezgin

8 Community Protocols as Self-Determination Strategies: Indigenous Experiences of Legal Pluralism in the Global South – The Cases of Brazil and South Africa
  Rodrigo Ferreira Barros

9 Sustainability of Customary Law Arbitration within the Nigerian Legal System: Judicial Rigidity versus the Organic Fluidity of Customary Law
  Philip O. Odiase

10 “Our Human Rights are Our Land”: Reconceptualising the Right to Property from an Indigenous Perspective
  Davinia Gómez-Sánchez

Part 4
Theoretical Perspectives on African Legal Pluralism
11 Penalising Passion: A Reflection on the Offence of Adultery in the Context of Cultural Relativism and Human Rights
  Jennifer H. Mike

12 Limitations to the Application of Customary Law as Determinants of the Nature of Customary Law in Botswana
  Bonolo Ramadi Dinokopila

13 Laws of Motion and Motions of Laws: Towards a Transformative Law-and-Political-Economy Framework for Customary Law in South Africa
  Reshard L. Kolabhai

  Epilogue
  Albie Sachs

Index

This comprehensive work is invaluable for scholars specialising in law, anthropology, sociology, political science, and history. Moreover, policymakers, legal practitioners, and development professionals working in Africa will find it an essential resource for understanding and navigating the complexities of legal pluralism in the African context.
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