State of Rebellion
Violence and Intervention in the Central African Republic
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:15th Dec '16
Should be back in stock very soon
An in-depth and revealing account of the violence that has swept the Central African Republic.
Shortlisted for the Fage and Oliver Prize 2018 In 2013, the Central African Republic was engulfed by violence. In the face of the rapid spread of the conflict, journalists, politicians, and academics alike have struggled to account for its origins. In this first comprehensive account of the country’s recent upheaval, Louisa Lombard shows the limits of the superficial explanations offered thus far – that the violence has been due to a religious divide, or politicians’ manipulations, or profiteering. Instead, she shows that conflict has long been useful to Central African politics, a tendency that has been exacerbated by the international community’s method of engagement with so-called fragile states. Furthermore, changing this state of affairs will require rethinking the relationships of all those present – rebel groups and politicians, as well as international interveners and diplomats. State of Rebellion is an urgent insight into this little-understood country and the problems with peacebuilding more broadly.
A must-read for comparativists and IR scholars interested in peacebuilding, the state, and African politics, as well as for policy makers involved with these issues in the CAR and beyond.' * African Affairs *
In this stimulating and provocative book, Louisa Lombard proposes a new approach to peace-keeping, peace enforcement and humanitarian action that rests upon a politics of redistribution and acknowledgement of the social dignity of fighters lacking a state. * Jean-François Bayart, Graduate Institute Geneva *
With a stunning combination of conceptual clarity and vivid ethnography, Louisa Lombard’s book challenges conventional wisdom on the roots of violence in the CAR. A must-read for anyone wanting to engage with current debates on peace-building and state-building initiatives. * Marielle Debos, author of Living by the Gun in Chad *
Brilliant ... Provides a magisterial reading of the role of violence in the making of the CAR. Authoritative, nuanced, and empirically rich, Lombard offers a new and compelling lens through which so-called state failure and post-conflict transitions can be understood. * Michael Watts, University of California, Berkeley (Emeritus) *
This valuable, indeed important, study helps us make sense of a little-known but strategically important African country. Those who wish to know Africa today need to know this book. * Paul Richards, author of No Peace, No War: An Anthropology of Contemporary Armed Conflicts *
If you want to understand why the CAR seems a perpetual work in regress, then Louisa Lombard’s book is a must read. Her new perspectives illuminate a neglected recess of globalization. * Stephen W. Smith, Duke University *
ISBN: 9781783608843
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 382g
304 pages