Dissidence, dictatorship, and democracy: The struggles of malian exiles in Africa and beyond, 1968-91

Abstract

In contrast with the imperial period, historians have overlooked African exile politics during the subsequent decades of one-party and military rule. Focusing on the Malian case, this article proceeds in three parts. The first section explores the creation in Africa, in particular in Ivory Coast and Senegal, of clandestine opposition movements to Moussa Traore's regime. The second section focuses on Europe, particularly France, where dissidents benefitted from an unparalleled openness of the political system compared to that seen in African countries. The final section investigates the influence of these networks spanning Africa and Europe on the formation of pro-democracy organizations in Mali and the final overthrow of the Traore regime in 1991. Theorizing exile as a process which enabled activists to operate in abeyance despite repression - before being able to emerge more openly-refines our understanding of political transitions which were driven by the juncture of internal and external dynamics.