School and pastoralism in the Senegalese Sahel: tensions, adaptations, and social transformations

Abstract

The Senegalese Sahel, characterised by arid conditions and savanna landscapes, is predominantly inhabited by Fulani pastoralists. Fulani herders are often perceived by researchers and policymakers as resistant to change and socially isolated, while their mobility has long been analysed through nomadism and transhumance, overlooking dynamics linked to globalisation, education, and urban migration. This article examines how formal schooling is experienced, negotiated, and reconciled with pastoral livelihoods among Fulani families in the Senegalese Sahel, and what this reveals about broader social transformations in pastoral society. Based on approximately thirty semi-structured interviews with herders, school-going youth, teachers, pastoral experts, and local actors in Mboula, Téssékère, Louguéré Thioly, and Oudalaye, the data were analysed using thematic and conceptual analysis. Findings show profound change driven by public policies and circulation of people and ideas in a globalised context. Young people express aspirations toward ‘modernity’, including new economic opportunities, mobility, and changing gender roles, generating tensions with pastoral life. Rather than rejecting schooling, families actively negotiate and adapt it, developing hybrid strategies combining formal education and pastoral knowledge transmission. Study highlights the need for education policies adapted to transhumance cycles, integrating pastoral knowledge and strengthening vocational training and girls’ access to schooling in pastoral areas.