Constructing Fulani Identity: Historical Continuities and Social Change across the West African Sahel

Abstract

This manuscript examines the historical construction and transformation of Fulani identity in the Sahel region of West Africa. It integrates anthropological, philanthropic, and historical perspectives on Fulani communities in a single framework. The research examines the aftermath of Islamic influence, migration, colonial intervention, and contemporary socio-economic alterations, which created a paradigm shift in reconfiguring Fulani identity. Subsequently, drawing on archival sources, including oral traditions and secondary literature, the study reflects an interdisciplinary historical-anthropological approach to tracing the development of key cultural institutions in Fulani ethnogenesis. The findings illustrate that Fulani identity altered through adaptation, reflection, retrospect, cultural resilience, courage, and vital external influences. In spite of the disruptive effects of colonial administration, urbanization, and globalization, institutions tantamount to Islamic practices, kinship networks, phonetics of their language, and pastoral traditions survived to draw imperative frameworks for an intrigued identity. Hitherto, this article argues that Fulani identity is articulated as a historically contingent, albeit dynamic, social realm, espoused through a staggering transformation. In conclusion, drawing on collaborative evidence related to the history of the Fulani clan, this study offers a thematic contribution to research on the Sahel, clarifying nuanced considerations of identity formation among West Africa’s most influential transnational populations.