Vulnérabilité foncière de la veuve dans la commune de bokito (centre- Cameroun)

Abstract

This research, entitled “land vulnerability of the widow in the commune of Bokito (Central Cameroon)”, aims to study the problematic of widows’ access to land inheritance within in-law families. Indeed, despite a development noted on the legal and regulatory level, widows’ access to land inheritance remains problematic in the locality. They are still faced with cultural, socio-economic and structural difficulties, which do not facilitate the recognition of their land rights. Therefore, the question which will have constituted the common thread of this research is the following, how to understand and analyze the land vulnerability among widows within the commune of Bokito? The operationalization of this question in the field led to the formulation of the hypothesis according to which, within the commune of Bokito, land vulnerability among widows results from the predominance of the tradition which recognizes the management of land to men.The objective here was to understand and analyze land vulnerability among widows The methodology used is based on a qualitative approach, which allowed us to summon three theories namely, the theory of neo-institutionalism (Paul Dimaggio and Walter Powel), the theory of social representations (Serge Moscovici) and strategic analysis (Michel Crozier and Erhard Friedberg). The sampling techniques used are reasoned choice and snowball sampling. Data collection tools such as documentary research, interviews and life stories were used. The data collected was analyzed using thematic content analysis. These analyzes led us to the following results: the widow’s access to land inheritance remains conditioned by customary rules still in force and respected. The texts and laws protecting women’s land rights are, despite some difficulties, popularized among the populations, and give widows the opportunity to claim their rights, hence their complaints to the competent institutions. The sociocultural perceptions and representations that individuals have of the widow contribute to her exclusion from land inheritance. Finally, the survival strategies deployed by widows allow some of them to access land inheritance