Histories of violence, 2: The civil war in Liberia. Generalizing from a case study

Dr Stephen Ellis, researcher at the African Studies Centre, is a historian who has done research on various conflicts in African history. His publications include The Rising of the Red Shawls: A Revolt in Madagascar 1895-1899 (1985) and more recently The Mask of Anarchy. The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War (1999).

The Liberian civil war (1989-1997) became infamous for the numerous atrocities committed by its participants, both on each other and the civilian population. Starting with a reading of the types of violence inflicted during the war, this seminar will explore the development of a historically-rooted method that could be used to analyse violence in other political and social contexts.