Panel 4 Rebelling without an end: analyzing armed groups & militia in the DRC

ASAUK Panel Proposal 4 (of 12)

This panel will be presented at the biannual conference of the ASAUK (African Studies Association in the UK) in September 2012 (Leeds, Sept 6-8). The organizers have invited the Congo Research Network to participate in this. 12 Congo related panels have been accepted.

If you wish to participate, you can join already accepted panels or you can submit a stand-alone paper. Participants should submit their paper abstracts via the ASAUK website. First, they should register as authors, then select the panel in which they want to participate, and then enter their abstract.

The following link gives you more information about registration: http://www.asauk.net/conferences/asauk12.shtml

The deadline for the submission of paper abstracts is 27 April 2012.

To attend the event without presenting a paper, contact the conference organizer David Kerr (conference@asauk.net, +44 (0)121 414 5124)

Convener: Judith Verweijen, PhD Candidate, Utrecht University, judithverweijen@gmail.com

Panel title: Rebelling without an end: analyzing armed groups & militia in the DRC
Description:
Years after the signing of the Sun City agreement and the formation of an integrated national army, there is still a bewildering array of foreign and domestic armed groups and militia active on Congolese soil. Although the Kimia II/Amani Leo operations have somewhat reduced their operating space and strength, they have failed to make a dent in the existence of these groups, indicating that the social dynamics producing this phenomenon have not substantially changed. This panel aims to shed a light on these dynamics by exploring the factors that cause and influence armed group mobilization and functioning, both internally (within armed groups) and externally (within their socio-economic context). It locates these factors at various levels of analysis (local, national, regional, international), and intends to analyze the ways in which these levels are interrelated. This prepares the ground for a discussion on the possibilities for influencing armed group mobilization and behavior, as well as reflections on future developments.

Chairs:
Koen Vlassenroot , Professor, Ghent University, Belgium
koen.vlassenroot@ugent.be
Jason Stearns, PhD Candidate, Yale University, USA
jasonkstearns@yahoo.com

Presenters:
Koen Vlassenroot, Professor, Ghent University, Belgium
Judith Verweijen, PhD Candidate, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
Anna Hedlund, PhD Candidate, Lund University, Sweden
Jason Stearns, PhD Candidate, Yale University, USA