1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910544263303321

Titolo

African conflicts and informal power [[electronic resource] ] : big men and networks / / edited by Mats Utas

Pubbl/distr/stampa

London, England : , : Zed Books, , 2012

[London, England] : , : Bloomsbury Publishing, , 2021

ISBN

1-350-21813-8

1-280-06281-9

9786613519979

1-84813-884-9

Descrizione fisica

vii, 255 p

Collana

Africa now

Classificazione

LB 42465

LB 51465

Disciplina

327.16096

Soggetti

Politics and war - Africa

Conflict management - Africa

International relations

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

pt. 1. Country case studies -- pt. 2. Thematic case studies.

Sommario/riassunto

"In the aftermath of an armed conflict in Africa, the international community both produces and demands from local partners a variety of blueprints for reconstructing state and society. The aim is to re-formalize the state after what is viewed as a period of fragmentation. In reality, African economies and polities are very much informal in character, with informal actors, including so-called Big Men, often using their positions in the formal structure as a means to reach their own goals. Through a variety of in-depth case studies, including the DRC, Sierra Leone and Liberia, African Conflicts and Informal Power shows how important informal political and economic networks are in many of the continent's conflict areas. Moreover, it demonstrates that without a proper understanding of the impact of these networks, attempts to formalize African states, particularly those emerging from wars, will be in vain"--Provided by publisher.