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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Grievances, governance and Islamist violence in sub-Saharan Africa
Author:Dowd, Caitriona
Year:2015
Periodical:Journal of Modern African Studies (ISSN 0022-278X)
Volume:53
Issue:4
Pages:505-531
Language:English
Geographic terms:Kenya
Mali
Nigeria
Subjects:political violence
Islamic movements
conflict
political conditions
External link:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X15000737
Abstract:What explains the emergence of Islamist violence as a substantial security threat in such diverse contexts as Kenya, Mali and Nigeria? This article addresses this question through an exploration of the strategies of governance employed by states, and how these shape the emergence and mode of collective violence. Conflict research often emphasises the specificity of Islamist violence, but these conflicts can be understood as a form of political exclusion and grievance-based violence, comparable to other forms of political violence. Further, violent Islamist groups emerge from local conditions: the areas in which groups are established share similar local experiences of governance and political marginalisation, a history of violent conflict on which Islamist militants capitalise, and key triggering events expanding or reinforcing state exclusion. These findings challenge a narrative emphasising the global, interconnected nature of Islamist violence. The article pairs data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Dataset (ACLED) with Afrobarometer survey data and case study evidence to identify drivers of Islamist violence across three African countries. Bibliogr., notes, sum. [Journal abstract]
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