Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution
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Browsing Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution by Subject "African studies"
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Item LEADERSHIP FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION IN POST-VIOLENT SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES: ETHICAL PRAGMATISM(2017) RUGARAGU, INNOCENT B.; RUGARAGU, INNOCENT B.; Alle, Dr. Susan HLEADERSHIP FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION IN POST-VIOLENT SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES: ETHICAL PRAGMATISMItem Power and social identity: The crisis of legitimacy of traditional rule in Northern Ghana and Ethnic conflicts(2013-08) Aapengnuo, Clement Mweyang; Aapengnuo, Clement Mweyang; Korostelina, Karina V.The Northern Region of Ghana is particularly noted for identity-driven protracted social conflicts centered on ethnicity, chieftaincy, and land. Disputes over chieftaincy suc-cession, ownership and control of land, and a sense of belonging have resulted in the loss of life and property and the displacement of people. As grievances accumulate and are defined at the group rather than individual level, the motivation for reprisals is never ending. Building on existing research on the conflicts in the Northern Region, this study uses theories of social identity, power, and legitimacy, to explain the nature and dynamics of the conflicts in the Region. The study explains the relationship between ethnicity, chieftaincy, and land in the conflicts in the Northern Region of Ghana by exploring the dynamics of social identity formation and its influence on indigenous perceptions of power and legitimacy. The study shifts the emphasis from ethnicity, chieftaincy, and land as sources of conflict in the Region to the quest to define the legitimate sovereign author-ity in a modern State where the existence of "traditional authority" is constitutionally recognized. In other words, ethnicity, chieftaincy, and land conflicts are symptoms of crisis of legitimacy of the "traditional authority" system. The position of the chief as "the traditional authority" is being contested, and the question of who is the right public authority to regulate social living, to define, and to enforce land rights today has to be confronted and explored. The argument of tradition and culture as the basis of the power of the chief in a multi-cultural environment must be re-evaluated if the chieftaincy institution is to play a role in conflict resolution, local governance, and development in the Region.Item The End of Peaceful Exceptionalism: How the Dual Transitions of Economic and Political Liberalization Impacted Micro-Level Conflicts and Cleavage Dynamics in Tanzania(2021) Schaerrer, Alexandra; Schaerrer, Alexandra; Paczynska, AgnieszkaThis dissertation examines the conditions that have compressed social relations and political order in Tanzania, in order to understand when and why social unity and state-society relations unravel. Further, this dissertation sheds light on the type of cleavages emerging from localized instances of violence in Tanzania, as well as their regional dimensions. Theoretically, this dissertation joins a rich literature concerned with unpacking the origins of political disorder, communal violence, and the activation of new or pre-existing social tensions and anxieties. By applying frameworks on horizontal inequalities, democratization, transitioning states, and the liberalization-conflict relationship, this research examines how economic and political interventions have contributed to the conditions that currently threaten Tanzania’s political and social unity. While existing models of instability successfully demonstrate under what conditions a county is most likely to experience state instability, they often fail to unpack the mechanisms that impact these conditions, and in what way they contribute to the onset of instability, why, and along what lines of tension. Instead, existing lines of tension are often treated as a ‘given,’ most often falling back on the ‘ethnic’ as the de facto basis for group-based discord in Africa. This dissertation contributes to the conflict field in several important ways, and demonstrates that state capture need not be ideationally motivated at all. Instead even equal opportunity crony capitalist factions can compete for state capture. Further, and in what translates well beyond Tanzania and Africa, this dissertation finds evidence indicating a need to look at corruption as a leading conflict mechanism and source of societal fractures. By presenting original evidence on Tanzania, this research demonstrates that the fractures emerging from state instability are not intuitive. Instead, as societies experience huge processes of political and economic change, and depending on their historic context, they fracture along multiple lines of division, including the political, racial, regional, religious, communal, and ethnic.Item The Role of Hegemonies within African Regional Organizations' Interventions:(2014-05) Ali, Khadija Ossoble; Ali, Khadija Ossoble; Lyons, TerrenceAs part of the "peace dividend" at the conclusion of the Cold War, Western nations largely withdrew their resources from African states that had previously participated as proxies. As a result, many of these African states collapsed, and a number of intractable civil wars ensued. In an attempt to manage and resolve these conflicts, the mandates of nascent African regional organizations shifted to include a focus on securitization; they claimed a mandate to militarily intervene in the internal affairs of failed or failing sovereign member states.Item Understanding the Longstanding Conflict between the Banyamulenge and "Indigenous" Tribes in Eastern DRC: Why Do Neighbors Struggle to Coexist?(2017) Londoni, Bernard Jefferson; Londoni, Bernard Jefferson; Korostelina, KarinaLiterature provides widespread support that intergroup contact (Pettigrew 1997, Davies, et al. 2011) and intergroup empathy (Mazziotta, et al. 2014) play a positive role in improving relations and fostering coexistence. The case I explored in Uvira, of Eastern DRC in 2016 clearly contrasts evidence from existing literature that links intergroup contact and empathy with positive intergroup relations. This research focused on understanding intergroup struggle to coexist peacefully. I used the case study inquiry strategy interviewing 40 individuals (20 from each community) in order to generate in-depth understanding of the complex issues surrounding the Uvira conflict and provide more insights into the gaps that exist for this studied case (Crowe et al. 2011, 1). This research found that both intergroup contact and empathy between the Banyamulenge, Bavira and Bafuliru (Bavibafuliru) have had little effects in fostering coexistence. Research participants stated that contacts between members of these communities are superficial, ironic and hypocritical. Participants also indicated that empathic feelings expressed by members of each group toward the other are insincere, ironic and hypocritical. They cited that members of these groups continue to see each other as enemies, lacking trust, and express hatred and disdain for one another. I used a framework to analyze the role that other concepts such legitimacy, power, trust, forgiveness, common identity, tolerance, interdependency, and social boundaries play in this conflict to facilitate or impede peaceful coexistence. I also developed a contact model to be used to mitigate conflict in the area. This research found that the uncertain status (citizenship issue) of the Banyamulenge and their access to power - that is viewed by their neighboring ethnic groups as illegitimate - were ones of the main challenges for peace efforts in Uvira. Factors hindering or that could facilitate coexistence are discussed; also discussed include the contributions and limitations of the research, implications of the results and recommendations for future research as well as the author's reflection on the conflict. I gained not only a better understanding of what contributes to the lack of coexistence in this area, but also develop insights into similar phenomena occurring in other parts of the world, especially the Great Lakes Region of Africa, where issues of coexistence have been studied and clear answers continue to be searched.