SATO Akira

SATO Akira

SATO Akira
[Belonging・Position] Area Studies Center ・Senior Researcher
[Research Field] African Studies
[email] Akira_Sato E-mail
Profile Information (Research history, education, papers & publications)

Previous research

I have studied the formation of Sub-Saharan African states from the end of the 19th century to the 21st century from the perspectives of society, politics, and the global environment. My research can be considered political history research that takes into account long-term continuity and society as a whole. My research has focused mainly on French-speaking countries such as Côte d'Ivoire and my main work is The Modern History of the Cocoa Republic (Institute of Developing Economies, 2015), which is the first comprehensive history of modern Côte d'Ivoire in Japan. Research projects that I have been involved with cover topics such as conflict and reconciliation, authoritarian rule, democratization, political parties, international peacekeeping operations, France–Africa relations, Islam and politics, land ownership systems, the informal sector, and migration.

Current research projects

I have organized a collaborative study group focused on constitutions and politics in sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, we analyze the political effects and consequences of creating and amending a constitution and the evolution of the state's image embodied in each country’s constitution. Through our research, we are aiming to answer the bigger question of what role post-independence laws have played in the history of state formations since the colonial period. Furthermore, although I have focused on the activities of politicians as well as political forces, I plan to pursue research on the state structure itself. Specifically, I intend to focus on the bureaucracy, tax collection system, and security forces, analyzing their operations based on comparison among countries and examining their impacts on the state formation.