The interconnection between the global and the local: case study of the indigenous Baka community of Nomedjoh, Cameroon

Abstract

The impact of globalisation on local communities is a widely debated topic in sociology and anthropology. This article explores the dynamics and statics of local communities in the context of globalisation using the concepts of deterritorialisation and imagined community. The study focuses on the indigenous Baka community of Nomedjoh in Cameroon and their response to globalisation through the redefinition and reconfiguration of their identities. Utilising Arjun Appadurai’s theoretical framework of scapes, the article delves into the processes by which the Baka community of Nomedjoh creates connections with or resistance to the global community. The study is based on data from a documentary film and endeavours to answer the question of how globalisation affects the local life of the Baka of Nomedjoh. The conclusion highlights the importance of considering the dialectic of the local and the global in the analysis of social transformations and movements.