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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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In God we trust – everybody else pay cash: On a personalized state and alternative moral communities in urban Sierra Leone
| Panel |
24. Trust and the Reconstruction of Society
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| Paper ID | 648 |
| Author(s) |
Utas, Mats
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | In Freetown, Sierra Leone, many people somewhat paradoxically trust an ex-combatant, as long as he/she resides in the local community, more than a police officer. This paper explores the trustless relationship between state and citizen. When the state is seen as a vicious enemy rather than a benevolent father figure then so-called citizens must find other arrangements for their protection and social development. We take a specific look at alternative moral communities and communal efforts to revamp socio-economic as well as physical security in the aftermath of the Sierra Leone Civil War (1991-2002). The paper is based on a two year long fieldwork in a Freetownian street-corner (conducted 2004-2006). |
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