Case Note approach is then expanded in Part IV of the book, which presents a number of indepth case studies. The first set of studies shows some of the damaging ways in which nationality laws can be manipulated for political purposes. 11 It focuses on a number of key challenges, including those faced by migrants (both those who moved to areas during independence and those who have moved postindependence whether by choice or coercion), cross-border communities and the challenges facing internal migrants. 12 While many of these cases have been covered elsewhere, Manby’s analysis contributes a detailed understanding of how the application and abuse of the law has played a role in creating conflict or crisis in the lives of individuals and groups. Through recounting how law and politics intersect, she puts forward the argument that ‘[e]ven in quite dysfunctional States, law matters’. 13 For instance, Manby traces recent conflict in Côte d’Ivoire back to migration in the 1930s imposed by the French, which left tens of thousands with unclear status at the point of independence. 14 She outlines in meticulous detail the multiple and interconnected layers of legal and political jostling that subsequently failed to resolve the status of these migrants and their descendants. As she argues, the ability for citizenship to be manipulated by political leaders was rooted in the uncertainty about who was Ivorian at independence and the subsequent failure of the nationality code to grant any rights based on birth in Côte d’Ivoire for second or even third generations. 15 Likewise, she outlines the well documented case of Banyarwanda speakers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (‘DRC’), tracing current tensions and conflict back to processes that were set in motion as early as the 18th century. 16 This case study points to the particularly toxic manipulation of ethnicity through the instrumentalisation of legal mechanisms for political gain. The foundation of citizenship law in ethnicity in the case of DRC, therefore, was both shaped by politics and has subsequently shaped politics in DRC by creating ethnic identity as a legal category. 17 The second set of case studies looks at a number of recent cases of state succession that took place long after the colonial powers had left, and a number of situations where there are tensions in border areas. 18 The secession of Eritrea from Ethiopia and South Sudan from Sudan are described through the lens of nationality law and the politics of belonging, 19 showing, in both cases, how failures to resolve core issues around belonging have a long-reaching impact on people’s lives. Manby also outlines the impact of border disputes on the lives of individuals whose circumstances leave them outside of the criteria set for citizenship. Finally, Manby describes a number of case studies that exemplify the challenges around access to citizenship for refugees. In particular, she emphasises how failures around naturalisation in practice have led to protracted situations of 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 ibid 147–258. ibid. ibid 149. ibid 199–200. ibid 221. ibid 222–42. ibid 242. ibid 259–87. ibid 261–78. 193