Access to land for rural women in Africa: the case of Senegal (from the time of the great kingdoms to the present day)African women constitute the vast majority of the continent's agricultural force and produce almost all foodstuffs. Their importance is such in the agricultural sector that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimate that the percentage of employed women in the non-agricultural sector on the African continent is one of the lowest in the world. They are most often left behind. However, this decisive economic role does not translate into real recognition on the legal level. Indeed laws meant to empower women and empower them are often ignored. Custom frequently conflicts with the law and obstructs its application. To understand the springs of this phenomenon, it is necessary to seek the reasons for which the practices based on the custom are maintained, putting in failure the emancipatory projects. So from the case of Senegal this doctoral thesis aims to trace the evolution of legal rules governing women's access to land in rural environment. The first part focuses on studying the genesis of legal inequalities based on gender with regard to access to land. It is a complex historical legacy constituted by the meeting between traditional law (before and after the expansion of Islam) and the legislation of the colonial times. The second part analyzes how the governments of independent Senegal have managed this right bequeathed by history while striving to respect the egalitarian standards promoted by the international community.African women constitute the vast majority of the continent's agricultural force and produce almost all foodstuffs. Their importance is such in the agricultural sector that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimate that the percentage of employed women in the non-agricultural sector on the African continent is one of the lowest in the world. They are most o