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Book (with the University of Wisconsin Press)
Book (with the University of Wisconsin Press)
Title : Belonging, Identity, and Conflict in the Central African Republic
Title : Belonging, Identity, and Conflict in the Central African Republic
During the latest cycle of violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), narratives emerged regarding who was an autochthon and who was not, pitting ‘true Central Africans’ against ‘foreigners’, Christians against Muslims. This book investigates the multiple levels and spaces in which one group claims being more autochthon than another in CAR.
The book uses a qualitative method approach predominantly centered on discourse analysis, fieldwork, interviews, and newspapers archival research.
Livre (avec les Presses Universitaires de Wisconsin)
Livre (avec les Presses Universitaires de Wisconsin)
Titre : Belonging, Identity, and Conflict in the Central African Republic
Titre : Belonging, Identity, and Conflict in the Central African Republic
Au cours du dernier cycle de violence en République centrafricaine (RCA), des récits ont émergé sur la question de savoir qui était autochtone et qui ne l'était pas, opposant les "vrais Centrafricains" aux "étrangers", les chrétiens aux musulmans. Cet ouvrage étudie les multiples niveaux et espaces dans lesquels un groupe affirme être plus autochtone qu'un autre en République centrafricaine.
Le livre est basée sur une approche qualitative principalement axée sur l'analyse du discours, l'enquête de terrain, les entretiens et la recherche dans les archives des journaux.
Read the book reviews / lire les lectures critiques de mon livre:
Read the book reviews / lire les lectures critiques de mon livre:
African Studies Quarterly (March 2025) Reviewed by Aly Verjee
Although the book mostly focuses on politics in the CAR since 2013 (...) the greatest contribution this book makes is that it studies much more than political elites. Chapters (...) offer careful, detailed accounts of two different economic sectors—mining and commercial markets—at the center and on the periphery.
The Journal of Modern African Studies (24 January 2025) Reviewed by Andreas Mehler
(the book) is recommended reading for all interested (a) in CAR's political and social history, (b) autochthony discourses more broadly. The book fills a vacuum and is thought-provoking; it provides the reader with a comparatively short text, but extended notes, bibliography and index .
African Studies Review (13 December 2024) Reviewed by Mathilde Tarif
this book is an in-depth study of autochthony discourses in the CAR. It demonstrates how autochthony identity has been a valuable resource in politics and has played a key role in the competition between groups before the 2013 conflict. The book thus accurately highlights the importance of re-placing conflicts in longer-term dynamics to explain violence, in the CAR and beyond.
Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue canadienne des études africaines (23 October 2024) Reviewed by Alexandra Lamarche
(the book) makes significant contributions to the study of identity conflicts and to the literature on the Central African Republic more generally. By broadening the study of autochthony to contexts without significant land disputes, Vlavonou illustrates how autochthony discourse can lead to exclusion in ways other than expulsion from territories.
International Journal: Canada’s Journal of Global Policy Analysis (29 May 2024) Reviewed by Christoph N. Vogel
The book is a unique and stimulating contribution to the study of identity politics, post-colonial governance, and contemporary civil war with the potential of becoming a modern classic.
Africa Spectrum (April 2024) Reviewed by Tim Glawion
Vlavonou's exceptional monograph has made two key contributions (…) Autochthony scholars anywhere should, thus, take to heart from Vlavonou's book: that autochthony is an identity capital not (always) linked to land.
Foreign Affairs (March / April 2024) Reviewed by Nicolas van de Walle
Vlavonou convincingly argues that many Muslim groups have a legitimate claim to indigeneity. Interestingly, he notes that the country’s conflicts have really focused not on land but on identity, with different political elites and warlords all too willing to weaponize autochthony to assert their power. "
H-Net Reviews (Humanities and Social Sciences Online), March 2024 Reviewed by Matthew Ribar
Belonging, Identity, and Conflict in the Central African Republic is a timely contribution to the study of autochthony“
African and Asian Studies (Volume 23, Issue 1-2, February 2024) Reviewed by Kwadwo S. Assensoh and Livingston A. Assensoh
“Belonging, Identity, and Conflict in the Central African Republic is a magnificent book, which does a lot to shed light upon the implications of autochthony.“
The Midwest Book Review (Volume 19, Number 2 February 2024)
“An impressively original, seminal, and ground-breaking work of exhaustive research and meticulous scholarship“
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