| Titre | Le droit et la coutume dans l'Afrique contemporaine | |
|---|---|---|
| Auteur | Jean-Pierre Magnant | |
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Revue | Droit et cultures |
| Numéro | no 48, octobre 2004 Jus et le Code civil | |
| Rubrique / Thématique | Études |
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| Page | 167-192 | |
| Résumé |
La coutume n'est pas ethnique : elle est territoriale. L'étranger peut-il connaître la coutume ? Peut-il intervenir sur (améliorer, modifier…) la coutume ? Peut-on remplacer une « mauvaise » coutume locale par du « bon » droit européen, attitude partagée par tous les acteurs impliqués dans les questions de développement ? Quel est l'intérêt de la rédaction des coutumes ? En dehors des questions de développement, l'intérêt est limité : la recherche d'une certaine unité du Droit est incompatible avec la diversité des adaptations de l'homme à son environnement. Source : Éditeur (via OpenEdition Journals) |
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| Résumé anglais |
“Customs” must not be confused with “customary law” in Africa. The latter was a European construct for maintaining order in the colonies. It was not at all an ethnological term describing the state of local law. In contrast with the proliferation of customs, “customary law” during the colonial era was often restricted to cases of premeditated assault and battery, theft, and intoxication in a public place. Whereas customary law is usually seen as a subject for history (as the study of ancient, even archaic laws), customs, far from belonging to a long-gone past, are alive, and are being continually adapted and updated. They do not form a closed set of intangible rules known by specialists. Nor do they form a set of speculations about “what would happen if”. Applying a custom means finding the answer to a concrete problem when it crops up. Customs are what are “done” here and now. There are as many aspects to them as there are adaptations to the environment. Customs are not ethnic; they are territorial. Can foreigners know them? Can they make improvements or modifications in them? Can a “bad” local custom be replaced with a “good” European law, as parties working in the field of development think? What is the purpose of setting customs down in writing? The quest for a unity of law is incompatible with the diversity of human adaptations to the environment. Source : Éditeur (via OpenEdition Journals) |
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| Article en ligne | http://droitcultures.revues.org/1775 |
