Peace, Conflict, and the Role of New Technologies in African Politics - Einzelansicht

Is civil war related to poverty? Why are some poor countries stable while others are plagued by perpetual violence? Why does violent conflict sometimes erupt in seemingly stable countries? In fragile environments, does political stability come at the cost of democratic freedoms?  To avoid outbreaks of civil war in fragile countries, do the ends justify the means when governments curtail citizens’ rights in the name of political stability?
This seminar seeks to answer these questions by analyzing the balance of power in a few countries in Central and Eastern Africa – Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda and the DRC. Who are the most powerful elites in these countries and how do they get what they want? What happens if elite interests collide? How are problems solved if there is no functioning rule of law?
The seminar examines the role of new technologies in stabilizing and destabilizing these political settlements. Are new surveillance technologies buttressing authoritarianism in some of these countries, while social media platforms stir political unrest in others? If elections and referenda in the global north are influenced by social media platform hacks, how is the internet affecting politics in African countries?
The seminar will be conducted in English and online (via Zoom). Apart from the mandatory reading, this course relies on a mix of online learning tools – mostly lecture videos, podcasts, reading lists that are accessible as audiobooks, and two documentary films. 

Every other Friday 2pm – 5:30pm

Literature 

Behuria, P., Buur, L., Gray, H. (2017) Studying political settlements in Africa, African Affairs 116(464) 

Clapham, C. (2018) The Ethiopian developmental state, Third World Quarterly, 39(6), 1151-1165, 

Collier, P., & A. Hoeffler (1999), On economic causes of civil war, Oxford Economic Papers, 50 (4), 563–573. 

Gagliardone, I. (2016) The Politics of Technology in Africa: Communication, Development, and Nation-Building in Ethiopia, Cambridge University Press

Hofstetter, Y. (2019) Der unsichtbare Krieg: Wie die Digitalisierung Sicherheit und Stabilität in der Welt betroht. München: Droemer Knaur

Menkhaus, K. (2007) Governance without Government in Somalia: Spoilers, State Building, and the Politics of Coping. International Security 31(3) 

Molony, T. (2019) Social media warfare and Kenya's conflict with Al-shabaab in Somalia: A right to know? African Affairs 118(471), 328–351.

Mueller, S.D. (2008) The Political Economy of Kenya's Crisis, Journal of Eastern African Studies, 2(2), 185-210 

Nyabola, N. (2018) Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics: How the internet era is transforming politics in Kenya. ZED Books. 

North, D.C., Wallis, J.J., Webb, S.B., Weingast, B.R. (2007) Violence and Social Orders: and Conceptual framework for understanding recorded human history. Princeton University Press.

Patrikarakos, D. (2017) War in 140 characters: How social media is reshaping conflict in the twenty-first century. New York: Basic Books.

Pierskalla, J. & Hollenbach, F. (2013). Technology and Collective Action: The Effect of Cell Phone Coverage on Political Violence in Africa. American Political Science Review, 107(2), 207-224. 

Purdeková, A. (2011) 'Even if I am not here, there are so many eyes': surveillance and state reach in Rwanda, The Journal of Modern African Studies 49(3), 475-497 

Reno, W. (1999) Warlord politics and African states. Lynne Rienner.

Singer, P.W., & Brooking, E.T. (2018) LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Stearns, J. (2012) Dancing in the glory of monsters: the collapse of the Congo and the Great African War, PublicAffairs. 

Warren, C.T. (2015) Explosive connections? Mass media, social media, and the geography of collective violence in African states, Journal of Peace Research 52(3), 297-311

Mündliche Prüfung