The book's story is told through 35 years of one Sahelian village in the north of Mali, Dlonguebougou - DBG as it is called.
To attempt an analysis of Toulmin's on-and-off thirty five years of village life in Mali - as the book is subtitled - I decided to count mentions in the index.
In the 20th century more and more people began to move into the area around DBG where they were allocated a piece of land.
Girls in DBG began to hear about city life and head to Bamako, the Mali capital, in search of a husband.
Traditional law allows people who can prove a connection to the village latter - the government and the Loi Foncier - the state owns the land.
