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Rebel rule: a governmentally perspective

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 16:59 authored by Kasper Hoffmann, Judith Verweijen
Much of the recent literature on rebel governance and violent political orders works with ‘centred’ and instrumental understandings of power. In this view, power is seen as exercised over subjects, and as situated in rebel rulers, governance institutions, or ruling networks. Drawing on the study of the armed groups known as ‘Mai-Mai’ in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, this article instead adopts a governmentality perspective on rebel governance. It demonstrates how Mai-Mai groups rule not only through direct imposition but also, more subtly, by shaping people’s subjectivities and self-conduct. We identify four clusters of techniques of Mai-Mai rule that relate respectively to ethnicity and custom; spirituality; ‘stateness’; and patronage and protection. We argue that a governmentality perspective, with its focus on rationalities and practices of power, offers a fine-grained understanding of rebel rule that moves beyond common binaries such as coercion versus freedom. By showing its relevance for the analysis of rebel rule in the eastern Congo, our findings further strengthen the case for applying a governmentality perspective to non-Western political orders.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

African Affairs

ISSN

0001-9909

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Issue

471

Volume

118

Page range

352-374

Department affiliated with

  • International Relations Publications

Research groups affiliated with

  • Sussex Centre for Conflict and Security Research Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-02-25

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2020-09-19

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-02-25

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