Synopses & Reviews
Driven by genocide, civil war, political instabilities, ethnic and pastoral hostilities, the African Great Lakes Region, primarily Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi, has been overwhelmingly defined by conflict. Kenneth Omeje, Tricia Redeker Hepner, and an international group of scholars, many from the Great Lakes region, focus on the interlocking conflicts and efforts toward peace in this multidisciplinary volume. These essays present a range of debates and perspectives on the history and politics of conflict, highlighting the complex internal and external sources of both persistent tension and creative peacebuilding. Taken together, the essays illustrate that no single perspective or approach can adequately capture the dynamics of conflict or offer successful strategies for sustainable peace in the region.
Review
"Brings a balanced and nuanced understanding of the dynamics of conflicts, peacebuilding strategies, and the complex interaction of local, national, and global forces in the diverse crises within the African Great Lakes Region." --Dauda Abubakar, University of Michigan, Flint
Review
"The African Great Lakes Region has been overwhelmingly shaped by war. An international group of scholars examines the region's conflicts and efforts to re-establish peace, observing that no single approach will suffice by itself." --Survival Indiana University Press Indiana University Press Indiana University Press
About the Author
Tricia Redeker Hepner is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Vice Chair of Africana Studies at the University of Tennessee. She is author of Soldiers, Martyrs, Traitors, and Exiles: Political Conflict in Eritrea and the Diaspora.
Kenneth Omeje is Professor of International Relations at the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya. He is author of High Stakes and Stakeholders: Oil Conflict and Security in Nigeria.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Conflict and Peacebuilding in the African Great Lakes Region Kenneth Omeje and Tricia Redeker Hepner
Part I. The Great Lakes Region: Challenges of the Past and Present
1. Understanding the Diversity and Complexity of Conflict in the African Great Lakes Region
Kenneth Omeje
2. The History and Politics of Regionalism and Integration in East Africa
Hannington Ochwada
3. Multipolar Politics and Regional Integration in East Africa: Opportunities and Challenges for Non-State Actors
Doreen Alusa
Part II. Case Studies of Conflict and Peacebuilding in the Great Lakes
4. Historical Dynamics of Northern Uganda Conflict: A Longitudinal Struggle for Nation-Building
Elias Omondi Opongo
5. Kofi Annan's Conflict Resolution Model and Peacebuilding in Kenya
Alfred Anangwe
6. Justice versus Reconciliation: The Dilemmas of Transitional Justice in Kenya
Ozonnia Ojielo
7. Climate Change and Peacebuilding among Pastoralist Communities in Northeastern Uganda and Western Kenya
Julaina A. Obika and Harriet K. Bibangambah
Part III. Social and Cultural Dimensions of Conflict and Peacebuilding in the Great Lakes
8. Media Sustainability in a Post-Conflict Environment: Radio Broadcasting in the DRC, Burundi and Rwanda
Marie-Soleil Frère
9. Youth in Transition: The Arts and Cultural Resonance in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda
Lindsay M. McClain and Tricia Redeker Hepner
10. Gender Issues in Reintegration: A Feminist and Rights-Based Analysis of the Experiences of Formerly Abducted Child Mothers in Northern Uganda
Eric Awich Ochen
11. "The Ambivalence of the Sacred": Christianity, Genocide and Reconciliation in Rwanda Janine Natalya Clark
List of Contributors
Index