Navigating Social Spaces: Armed Mobilization and Circular Return in Eastern DR Congo

Vlassenroot, Koen; Mudinga, Emery Mushagalusa; Bussy, Josaphat Musamba

doi:10.1093/jrs/feaa048

Cited by 17 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…This process has been described as 'circular return': the continuous 'mobility between combatant and civilian spaces … the semi-autonomous field of an armed group and their larger social context' (Vlassenroot et al, 2020: 839). Being part of two different social environments has become a permanent condition of life (Vlassenroot et al, 2020). The distinction principle, therefore, does not capture the complexity of these trajectories or affiliations to military networks.…”

Section: Beyond 'Blurring'mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Achille Mbembe (2005: 148) put it, war is 'the means whereby one creates a world, as well as the life-world that is itself created'. Armed mobilization is a process of socialization, a means of creating new forms of social capital and constructing new identities (Vlassenroot et al, 2020). After demobilization, humanitarianism became a new process of socialization, a new position ex-rebels could adopt.…”

Section: Navigation and Transformationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From Rebel to Humanitarian: Military Savoir Faire and Humanitarian Practice in Eastern DR Congo

James¹

2021

Development and Change

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This article explores the experience of ex-rebels who have become humanitarians in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It describes how rebel-cum-humanitarians navigate a turbulent political environment, integrating the knowledge they acquired through military experience into a career in the humanitarian sector. 'Distinction' between combatants and humanitarians remains central to the humanitarian imaginary. However, rebel and humanitarian spheres are interlinked by individuals who do not just broker relationships between the two, but also move between them. They walk a tightrope: their rebel past is seen as a threat to performing a 'neutral' humanitarian identity, but at the same time, it constitutes a resource in brokering access with armed groups. Despite a focus on performing principles, humanitarian agencies in practice draw on their employees' savoir faire which is sometimes gained through rebel experience -the very identity deemed antithetical to a humanitarian status. This research was funded by the ESRC Doctoral Training Programme and the St John's College Oxford 450th Anniversary Fund Scholarship. I would like to thank David James, Louisa Lombard, Faith Cowling and Tom Scott-Smith, as well as the three anonymous reviewers, for their insightful feedback on earlier versions of this article. Finally, I am indebted to everyone who took the time to talk to me, and in particular to Faustin, Imani and Gloire for their patience and generosity. Any errors remain my own. 1. All names of individuals have been changed.

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Section: Beyond 'Blurring'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Navigation and Transformationmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Rebel to Humanitarian: Military Savoir Faire and Humanitarian Practice in Eastern DR Congo

James¹

2021

Development and Change

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“…illustrate that the taxation practices of the Mai-Mai Kifuafua in Eastern DRC are viewed as legitimate because they respect local norms and are 'subject to a high level of negotiation with customary authorities and other local notables' (Hoffmann et al 2016(Hoffmann et al : 1451, see also Vlassenroot, Mudinga and Musamba 2021). In Southeast Asia, Weigand (2020) shows that the extent to which armed groups are concerned about and dependent on local legitimacy shapes their economic policies and practices.…”

Section: Building Legitimacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Greed: Why Armed Groups Tax

Bandula-Irwin¹,

Gallien²,

Jackson³

et al. 2021

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Armed groups tax. Journalistic accounts often include a tone of surprise about this fact, while policy reports tend to strike a tone of alarm, highlighting the link between armed group taxation and ongoing conflict. Policymakers often focus on targeting the mechanisms of armed group taxation as part of their conflict strategy, often described as ‘following the money’. We argue that what is instead needed is a deeper understanding of the nuanced realities of armed group taxation, the motivations behind it, and the implications it has for an armed group’s relationship with civilian and diaspora populations, as well as the broader international community. This paper builds on two distinct literatures, on armed groups and on taxation, to provide the first systematic exploration into the motivation of armed group taxation. Based on a review of the diverse practices of how armed groups tax, we highlight that a full account of their motivation needs to go beyond revenue collection, and engage with key themes around legitimacy, population control, institution building, and the performance of public authority. We problematise common approaches towards armed group taxation and state-building, and outline key questions of a new research agenda.

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“…A first application was submitted around mid-June 2018 to the Defense Ministry which oversees the management of ex-combatants (Vlassenroot et al, 2020). Though supported by a friend who lived in Kinshasa, the follow-up needed a support within the military, working within the Office of the Army Chief of Staff (OACS).…”

Section: Bureaucracies Predatory System and “Contested-native” Resear...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, informal talks and/or qualitative enquiry with ex-combatants indicated another path. Different accounts, mostly 2017 Ex-combatants, have referred to embezzlement and failure of the DDR program in which provincial UEPNDDR bears some responsibilities (Perazzone, 2017, p. 268; Vlassenroot et al, 2020). Ex-combatants accounts indicate that UEPNDDR is sometimes unwilling to let them openly express their encounters.…”

Section: Bureaucracies Predatory System and “Contested-native” Resear...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Fieldnotes, Field Research, and Positionality of a “Contested-Native Researcher”

Ntanyoma

2021

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

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The article recapitulates field research experiences of a native researcher in Eastern DRC. In many cases, a native is considered an insider. However, the field research took place in an ethnically polarized context where an insider researcher can be mischaracterized and amalgamated to her own ethnic community. Besides polarization, the fieldwork took place in a volatile setting to the extent that it increases security concerns for a researcher who belongs to a “contested community”; meaning, researcher’s position is likely associated with his ethnic community. Based on the field experience, the article shares insights of dealing with this complexity, volatility, and uncertainties. While the article does not claim that insights can be generalized across different contexts, it specifically proposes some attitudes to take when a researcher faces a dilemma of touching the ground realities while he might individually be amalgamated within socio-cultural differences. The article recalls the necessity of understanding the effects of socio-cultural polarization within the academic field.

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Navigating Social Spaces: Armed Mobilization and Circular Return in Eastern DR Congo

Cited by 17 publications

References 31 publications

From Rebel to Humanitarian: Military Savoir Faire and Humanitarian Practice in Eastern DR Congo

From Rebel to Humanitarian: Military Savoir Faire and Humanitarian Practice in Eastern DR Congo

Beyond Greed: Why Armed Groups Tax

Fieldnotes, Field Research, and Positionality of a “Contested-Native Researcher”

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