Ethnic Identity and Violent Religious Organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa

• In Event: Identity Formation and Maintenance in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Within the literature on religiously motivated violence group’s, scholars have called attention to the various drivers behind an individual’s desire to seek membership. Additionally, within the literature on conflict in Africa, many have highlighted the significance and centrality of ethnic ties in mobilizing support for insurgent organization. Yet, despite the significance of ethnic ties in facilitating mobilization and sustaining groups once they form, we know little about how ethnicity interacts with religiously motivated groups. Using in-depth case studies of Boko Haram, this project aims to uncover what role ethnicity plays in such conflicts as well as the subsequent effect such groups have on ethnic structures and relationships in sub-Saharan Africa.

Author

• Makena Nyawira Micheni, London School of Economics and Political Science