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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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The Power of Protection? Governing the Congo-Ugandan Frontier
| Panel |
44. Negotiating statehood in Africa
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| Paper ID | 177 |
| Author(s) |
Raeymaekers, Timothy E.M.D.
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| Paper |
View paper (PDF)
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| Abstract | Congo is often portrayed as the epithome of the African ‘collapsed’ state – its protracted civil conflict as a typical example of a ‘resource war’. Contrary to this vision, recent analysis suggests the possibility that, in some circumstances, new “orders” can begin to emerge from such conflicts – though not necessarily via the central state. The continuous adaptation of groups and individuals to such circumstances can even lead to certain levels of “governance”. This paper explores a particular set of cross-border traders in an African transboundary configuration, in casu the Nande trading network, and their role in the (trans)formation of political order in the eastern Congolese border town of Butembo. It suggests that differentiated relations are possible, not only between local and more “glocalized” forms of governance, but also between such governance frameworks and the state. The focus will be on the quest for protection by this Nande trust network, and its outcomes in terms of public security. |
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