53 research outputs found
The agency of liminality: army wives in the DR Congo and the tactical reversal of militarization
The inherently unstable boundaries between military and civilian worlds have emerged as a main object of study within the field of critical military studies. This article sheds light on the (re)production of these boundaries by attending to a group that rarely features in the debates on the military/civilian divide: army wives in a ânon-Northernâ context, more specifically the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Drawing upon the âanalytical toolboxâ of governmentality, we explore how civilian and military positionalities are called upon, articulated and subverted in the governing and self-governing of Congolese army wives. We show the decisive importance of these wivesâ civilian-military âin betweennessâ both in efforts to govern them and in their exercise of agency, in particular
The inherently unstable boundaries between military and civilian worlds have emerged as a main object of study within the field of critical military studies. This article sheds light on the (re)production of these boundaries by attending to a group that rarely features in the debates on the military/civilian divide: army wives in a ânon-Northernâ context, more specifically the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Drawing upon the âanalytical toolboxâ of governmentality, we explore how civilian and military positionalities are called upon, articulated, and subverted in the governing and self-governing of Congolese army wives. We show the decisive importance of these wivesâ civilianâmilitary âin-betweennessâ both in efforts to govern them and in their exercise of agency, in particular the ways in which they âtactically reverseâ militarization. The article also demonstrates the dispersed nature of the governing arrangements surrounding army wives, highlighting the vital role of âthe civilianâ as well as the âagency of those being militarizedâ within processes of militarization. By foregrounding the relevance of studying Congolese army wives and their militarization with an analytical toolbox often reserved for so called âadvanced militaries/societiesâ, and by revealing numerous similarities between the Congolese and âNorthernâ contexts, the article also sets out to counter the Euro/US-centrism and âtheoretical discriminationâ that mark present-day (critical) military studies
Military business and the business of the military
Contrary to dominant approaches that locate the causes for military entrepreneurialism in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo predominantly in criminal military elites, this article highlights the importance of the Congolese militaryâs (FARDC) civilian context for understanding military revenue-generation. It analyses how the latter is shaped by structures of domination, signification and legitimisation that drive and are driven by the FARDCâs governance, private protection and security practices. It argues that these practices contribute to bestowing a degree of legitimacy on both the FARDCâs position of power and some of its revenue-generation activities. Furthermore, by emphasising that the FARDCâs regulatory and protection practices are partly the product of popular demands and the routine actions of civilians, the article contends that the causes of military revenue-generation are co-located in the militaryâs civilian environment. In this manner, it offers a more nuanced conceptualisation of military entrepreneurialism, thus opening up new perspectives on policy interventions in this area
Situation, Figuration und Gewalt. Versuch eines gewaltsoziologischen Dialoges zwischen Randall Collins und Norbert Elias am Beispiel sexueller Kriegsgewalt
Ebner J, Stopfinger M. Situation, Figuration und Gewalt. Versuch eines gewaltsoziologischen Dialoges zwischen Randall Collins und Norbert Elias am Beispiel sexueller Kriegsgewalt. Ăsterreichische Zeitschrift fĂŒr Soziologie. 2020;45(S1):43-67.In diesem Beitrag werden zwei in der soziologischen Gewaltforschung etablierte AnsĂ€tze â die mikrosoziologisch-situationistische Gewalttheorie von Randall Collins und die figurations- bzw. prozesssoziologische Perspektive von Norbert Elias â auf ihre Eignung fĂŒr die Analyse von sexueller Kriegsgewalt ĂŒberprĂŒft. Nach einer kurzen Diskussion des Forschungsstandes zu sexueller Kriegsgewalt wird dieses Thema einmal mit Collins und einmal mit Elias beleuchtet. Danach werden die beiden ZugĂ€nge einander gegenĂŒbergestellt, um Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten herauszuarbeiten. Darauf aufbauend wird versucht, die Fruchtbarkeit eines âpragmatischen Dialogesâ zwischen einem mikro- und einem figurationssoziologisch inspirierten Ansatz auszuloten. AbschlieĂend wird diskutiert, welche Folgerungen sich daraus fĂŒr die Forschung zu sexueller Kriegsgewalt ergeben.In this paper, two approaches established in sociological violence research â Randall Collinsâ micro-sociological theory of violence and Norbert Eliasâ figuration- and process-sociological perspectiveâare examined for their suitability for the analysis of sexual violence in war. After a brief discussion of the current state of research on sexual violence in war, this topic will be examined once with Collins and once with Elias. The two approaches are then juxtaposed in order to highlight differences and similarities. Building on this, the fruitfulness of a âpragmatic dialogueâ between a micro- and a figuration-sociologically inspired approach will be explored. The concluding section discusses the implications for research on sexual violence in war
Moral spaces, and sexual transgression: understanding rape in war and post conflict
When it comes to rape in war, evocative language describing rape as a âweapon of warâ has become commonplace. Although politically important, overemphasis on strategic aspects of wartime sexual violence can be misleading. Alternative explanations tend to understand rape either as exceptional â a departure from ânormalâ sexual relationships â or as part of a continuum of gendered violence. This article shows how, even in war, norms are not suspended; nor do they simply continue. War changes the moral landscape. Drawing on ethnographic research over 10 years in northern Uganda, this article argues for a re-sexualization of understandings of rape. It posits that sexual mores are central to explaining sexual violence, and that sexual norms â and hence transgressions â vary depending on the moral spaces in which they occur. In Acholi, moral spaces have temporal dimensions (âolden timesâ, the âtime of fightingâ and âthese daysâ) and associated spatial dimensions (home, camp, bush, village, town). The dynamics of each help to explain the occurrence of some forms of sexual violence and the rarity of others. By reflecting on sexual norms and transgressions in these moral spaces, the article sheds light on the relationship between âeventâ and âordinaryâ, rape and war
âCome back, invest, and advance the country.â Policy myths and migrant realities of return and development in Senegal
Since the early 2000s, policy debates and academic research on the linkages between migration and development have blossomed. Within this discussion, a particular focus is on the potential of return migrantsâ investment in home economies. In origin countries, scholars have observed growing policy interest towards emigrant communities, highlighting that Southern governments have intensified their contacts with overseas diasporas and invite them to come back, invest and help advance the country. I argue that widespread policy optimism about return, investment and development is based on a number of misconceptions. I defend this argument with reference to the case study of Senegal. In this chapter, I offer a critical examination of current official policy discourse about the return- and-development nexus in Senegal and uncover key underlying erroneous myths
âAre you Married to a Maasai?â Gendered Cultural Encounters Between Tanzanians and Danes in âGlobal Citizenshipâ Training
The article analyses the dynamics of âcultural differenceâ. It is based on the fieldwork among a group of Danish seniors at a three-week adult education course entitled âGlobal Citizenshipâ in Tanzania with the Danish NGO Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke. The article analyses encounters between the Danes and their Tanzanian teachers. The article explores the training centre Danish, which hosted the course, as a chronotope in which âbeing Danishâ holds special meaning, and analyses how gender became a lens for depicting culture. The article concludes that normative hierarchical positionalities of gender equality vs. inequality were created in the interplay between students and teachers
How to become an âelite cosmopolitanâ: The mediatized trajectories of United Nations expatriates
Soldiers without an army? Patronage networks and cohesion in the armed forces of the DR Congo
This article analyzes the effects of patronage networks on cohesion in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It shows that while patronage networks provide support to individual military personnel, they undermine both peer and commanderâsubordinate bonding. They promote unequal service conditions and statuses and link these to extra-unit and extra-military forms of social identification, which are further reinforced by soldiersâ living and generating revenue among civilians. Furthermore, they impair meritocracy and frustrate the extent to which commanders live up to their subordinatesâ expectations. As they fuel internal conflicts, often around revenue generation, and foster bad service conditions and distrust toward the political and military leadership, patronage networks also undermine institutional cohesion. The article concludes that cohesion formation in the FARDC follows different patterns than in well-institutionalized and well-resourced militaries. Given that cohesion impacts combat performance and norm enforcement, these findings are relevant for defense reform efforts and military cooperation
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