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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Cyrille Leandres Ngon
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DOI:10.17265/2328-2134/2026.02.004
University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon
As citizens increasingly redefine their roles in the political sphere, the relationship between the state and society is evolving, raising critical questions about identity, governance, and sovereignty. This article examines these dynamics in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions, where challenges to state authority reflect a dialectical tension between preserving an outdated form of citizenship and constructing a new one with a renewed social contract. Using a constructivist framework, which emphasizes the role of social identities, norms, and discourses, this study explores sovereignty as a shared and contested concept, continuously redefined by social actors. Through a qualitative approach, it analyses how active citizenship emerges as a response to state shortcomings, questioning its legitimacy and governance model. The findings reveal that the contestation of state authority in the Anglophone regions fosters alternative forms of citizenship and local governance, reshaping sovereignty from below. These practices challenge the state’s monopoly over sovereignty, promoting grassroots participation and new governance structures. The evolving dynamics highlight a redefinition of state-society relations, where sovereignty is no longer exclusively dictated by the state but increasingly shaped by local actors. By emphasizing the dual process of contestation and creativity, this contribution reveals that the rejection of the Cameroonian state’s sovereign model is not merely a rebellion but a transformative effort to establish localized governance and democratic participation. Ultimately, this research demonstrates that the crisis in the Anglophone regions is not just a challenge to authority but a broader reimagination of sovereignty and citizenship in Africa.
Sovereignty, Citizenship, Governance, Contestation, State Legitimacy
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