| 1. |
- Bjarnesen, Jesper, 1977-
(författare)
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Back in Youth : Social Unbecoming in the Study of West African Masculinities
- 2023
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Ingår i: Africa Spectrum. - 0002-0397 .- 1868-6869. ; 58:3, s. 247-266
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- African youth became a central research theme in anthropology and related disciplines in the early 2000s, drawing renewed attention to the lives and aspirations of a segment of the continent's population that, since the independence era, has become increasingly demographically dominant but socially and politically marginalised. Reflecting on an extended case study of male ex-combatants in urban Burkina Faso, this paper offers a critical reading of the anthropological scholarship on African youth, emphasising, first, that much of this literature is most usefully read as studies of diverse (West) African masculinities and, second, that the literature has underplayed the extent to which achievements of social progression tend to be acutely reversible in contexts of precarity or radical social change, throwing the unfortunate, as it were, back in youth.
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| 2. |
- Bjarnesen, Jesper, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Of Masks and Masculinities in Africa
- 2023
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Ingår i: Africa Spectrum. - : Sage Publications. - 0002-0397 .- 1868-6869. ; 58:3, s. 191-200
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Contemporary forms of precarity, migration, connectivity, and sociality have transformed what it means to be a man in many African communities. Responding with agency and creativity to various incentives and constraints, Africans have adapted practices pertaining to labour, marriage, and sexuality to the exigencies of modern life amid the impacts of European colonialism, rapid urban growth, economic hardship, and political conflict. Drawing upon ethnographic and historical research to study settings in East, West, and Southern Africa, the articles in this special issue review the social changes that have taken place regarding men's roles and assess prospects for the emergence of counter-hegemonic masculinities.
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| 3. |
- Bob-Milliar, George M., et al.
(författare)
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Democratic Ruptures and Electoral Outcomes in Africa: Ghana's 2016 Election
- 2018
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Ingår i: Africa Spectrum. - : SAGE Publications. - 0002-0397 .- 1868-6869. ; 53:1, s. 5-35
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Repetitive elections are important benchmarks for assessing the maturity of Africa's electoral democracies. Yet the processes through which elections entrench a democratic culture remain understudied. We introduce an important mechanism called a democratic rupture: an infraction in the democratisation process during competitive elections that has the potential to cause a constitutional crisis. It provides a new avenue of citizen participation outside of voting, and political space for opposition party realignment and to strengthen its support. Drawing from the case of Ghana, we show how the 2012 presidential election petition challenge served as a democratic rupture by contributing to the opposition's victory in 2016, enabling its political development. First, it exposed flaws in the electoral system and led to demands for electoral reforms. Second, it led to citizens being better educated on the electoral process. Third, it taught political parties that vigilance at the polling stations can help win elections. The article provides a critical analysis of the factors that shape democratic development, especially in cases where opposition parties defeat incumbent politicians.
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| 4. |
- Finnström, Sverker, 1970-
(författare)
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KONY 2012, Military Humanitarianism, and the Magic of Occult Economies
- 2012
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Ingår i: Africa Spectrum. - 0002-0397 .- 1868-6869. ; 47:2-3, s. 127-135
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The global success of the film KONY 2012 by Invisible Children, Inc., manifests far greater magical powers than those of Joseph Kony and his ruthless Lord’s Resistance Army, which it portrays. The most prominent feature of the Invisible Children lobby is the making and constant remaking of a master narrative that depoliticizes and dehistoricizes a murky reality of globalized war into an essentialized black-and-white story. The magic of such a digestible storyline, with Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony as a global poster boy for evil personified, not only plays into the hands of the oppressive Ugandan government but has also become handy for the US armed forces as they seek to increase their presence on the African continent. As the US-led war on terror is renewed and expanded, Invisible Children’s humanitarian slogan, “Stop at nothing”, has proven to be exceptionally selective, manifesting the occult economy of global activism that calls for military interventions.
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| 5. |
- Hagberg, Sten, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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Socio-political Turmoil in Mali: The Public Debate Following the Coup d’État on 22 March 2012
- 2012
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Ingår i: Africa Spectrum. - 0002-0397 .- 1868-6869. ; 47:2-3, s. 111-125
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the night between 21 and 22 March 2012, a group of youngmilitary officers overthrew Mali’s president, Amadou Toumani Touré. Thegroup justified the coup by citing the inability of the regime to both deal withthe crisis in the North and provide the army with the appropriate material andmanpower to defend the national territory. The coup plunged Mali into violence,and caused a de facto partition of the country. The socio-political turmoilpitting different political and armed factions against each other has continuedunabated and has been accompanied by intense mass media debates. Inthis report we focus on the Malian public debate. By looking at the politicalclass, the international community, and the partition of the country, we analyserepresentations and stereotypes prevailing in this debate.
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| 6. |
- Hagberg, Sten, 1962-
(författare)
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"Thousands of New Sankaras" : Resistance and Struggle in Burkina Faso
- 2015
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Ingår i: Africa Spectrum. - Hamburg. - 0002-0397 .- 1868-6869. ; 50:3, s. 109-121
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article analyses recent political developments in Burkina Faso, particularly the failed coup d’état in September 2015. The coup was led by the former president’s security forces (RSP), comprised of 1,300 heavily equipped and well-trained soldiers. The RSP took the president and government hostage and declared the coup d’état. The coup was condemned by most Burkinabe, civil society organisations, trade unions, and political parties, as well as by the international community. Across the country, people mobilised in popular resistance and civil disobedience. RSP soldiers patrolled and shot live rounds into neighbourhoods, while residents built barricades. Resistance mounted in Ouagadougou and elsewhere in the country, and after a few days it became clear that the coup would fail. In this article, I describe the courage and determination of the Burkinabe people in the face of the coupists and thereby show that popular resistance and revolutionary struggle are part and parcel of Burkinabe political culture. In conclusion, I discuss the prospects for a veritable democratic breakthrough in Burkina Faso.
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| 7. |
- Höglund, Kristine, et al.
(författare)
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Towards electoral security : experiences from KwaZulu-Natal
- 2011
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Ingår i: Africa Spectrum. - Hamburg : SAGE Publications. - 0002-0397 .- 1868-6869. ; 46:1, s. 33-59
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a growing recognition of the dangers of electoral violence. Yet, the theoretical foundation for systematic research and for adequate policy is still underdeveloped. This article aims to develop the theoretical understandings of strategies to manage and prevent electoral violence. This is accomplished by integrating research conducted within the two academic discourses on democratization and conflict management and also by drawing on the experiences from the conflict-ridden province KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The five strategies identified are monitoring, mediation, legal measures, law enforcement and self-regulating practices. In the article, the functions and mechanisms of the strategies are discussed. In addition, we analyse the limitations and usefulness of each of the strategies in turn and also provide suggestions on how to improve electoral security.
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| 8. |
- Jarstad, Anna, 1966-
(författare)
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The Prevalence of Power-Sharing : Exploring the Patterns of Post-Election Peace
- 2009
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Ingår i: Africa Spectrum. - Hamburg : GIGA. - 0002-0397 .- 1868-6869. ; 44:3, s. 41-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Why are some elections followed by armed conflict, while others are not? This article begins to explore this question by mapping the prevalence of power-sharing agreements and patterns of post-election peace in states shattered by civil war. While democracy builds on the notion of free political competition and uncertain electoral outcomes, power-sharing reduces the uncertainty by ensuring political power for certain groups. Nevertheless, new data presented in this article – the Post-Accord Elections (PAE) data collection – shows that the issues of peace, power-sharing and democracy have become intertwined as the vast majority of contemporary peace agreements provide for both power-sharing and elections. First, in contrast to previous research which has suggested that power-sharing is a tool for ending violence, this study shows that conflict often continues after an agreement has been signed, even if it includes provisions for power-sharing. Second, this investigation shows no evidence of power-sharing facilitating the holding of elections. On the contrary, it is more common that elections are held following a peace process without power-sharing. Third, a period of power-sharing ahead of the elections does not seem to provide for postelection peace. Rather, such elections are similarly dangerous as post-accord elections held without a period of power-sharing. The good news is that power-sharing does not seem to have a negative effect on post-election peace.
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| 9. |
- Käihkö, Ilmari
(författare)
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“No die, no rest”? : Coercive Discipline in Liberian Military Organisations
- 2015
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Ingår i: Africa Spectrum. - Hamburg : G I G A Institute of African Affairs. - 0002-0397 .- 1868-6869. ; 50:2, s. 3-29
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Discipline forms the backbone of all military organisations. While discipline is traditionally associated with draconian punishment, this association is increasingly only applied to non-Western contexts. African rebel movements and similar, weak organisations are represented especially often as lacking non-coercive means of instilling discipline. This article explores the utility of coercive discipline in one such context – the Second Liberian Civil War (1999–2003). I argue that Liberia’s weak military organisations faced significant restrictions when it came to employing direct coercion. Executions, which are often equated with coercion in existing literature, threatened to rive the already frail organisations. Even other formal instruments of discipline, such as military hierarchies and rules and regulations, remained contested throughout the war. Consequently, more indirect means were adopted. Ultimately, the main users of coercion were not military organisations, but peers. This suggests that it is easier for strong organisations to coerce their members, and that the relationship between coercion and organisational strength may need to be reassessed. Furthermore, existing positive perceptions of camaraderie between brothers-in-arms requires re-evaluation.
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| 10. |
- Käihkö, Ilmari, et al.
(författare)
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The Crisis in CAR: Navigating Myths and Interests
- 2014
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Ingår i: Africa Spectrum. - Hamburg : G I G A Institute of African Affairs. - 0002-0397 .- 1868-6869. ; 49:1, s. 69-77
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- “Anarchy”, “religious war”, “genocide” and, recently, “cannibalism”– these are some of the most commonly used words in Westernnews media when referring to the crisis in the Central African Republic(CAR), at least since the takeover of power by the rebel coalition Sélékain March 2013. In the context of these media stereotypes, this articleunravels some of the complexities that have arisen in the CAR conflictsince the fall of the Bozizé regime and the Séléka takeover. We showhow international actors have been pivotal in shaping the current crisis inthe country. In order to help steer CAR out of its predicament, we showhow important it is that international peacekeeping operations, policymakersand diplomats understand not only the situation on the groundbut also the close ties major groups in CAR have with various regionaland other international actors. If context awareness remains scant, thereis a serious risk that their activities will at best be suboptimal and at worstaid in fuelling the crisis.
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