The Social Structure of Insurgencies. Reproduction and Change during and after Conflict

Daniel Bultmann Announcement
Subject Fields
Anthropology, Area Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Political Science, Sociology

Current research on civil wars and conflict increasingly turns to the inner structure and functioning of non-state armed groups, and their impact on aspects such as violent practice, internal cohesion and the dissolution of these groups during the conversion to peace. We are looking for contributions which draw on sociology, political science, history, psychology or other disciplines to understand the social structure of insurgencies and discuss its patterns of change and its impact on practices within and outside the respective group.

The call is not limited to any region or type of conflict (e.g. terrorism, genocide or civil war) but aims at a comparison between different kinds of insurgent groups, their social structures and the respective patterns of inception and recruitment, internal cohesion, violent practice and strategies of conversion during reintegration. In order for an innovative and interdisciplinary book to be compiled, the volume may encompass contributions addressing the topic from theoretical and empirical perspectives within various disciplines. Contributions may focus on predominantly theoretical aspects, on single cases, on comparative studies of a few cases or on analyses using statistical methods.

The social structure of insurgent movements should be seen as a dynamic system, as a structure that is a constant process of reproduction and change, even during times of massive societal upheaval, such as violent conflict. Therefore, the impact of the social structure on a group’s practices will be addressed within three time frames: 1) during the inception, 2) during different stages of the conflict and 3) during the transition to peace and after the war’s end. By not limiting the scope of the volume to particular types of conflict, world regions or type of organization, an opportunity is provided to compare similarities and differences across a variety of empirical cases, thereby bridging artificial gaps between sub-disciplines. Moreover, through inviting contributions on different stages of conflict, patterns of change and reproduction in time can be addressed more fully.

Please, send your abstract of no longer than 500 words and a biographic note of 100 words to Daniel Bultmann (bultmand@hu-berlin.de) by no later than 15th May 2017. Contributors will be notified within two weeks after the deadline. Final paper submission will be 30th October 2017.

Contact Information

Dr. Daniel Bultmann
Institute of Asian and African Studies, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany

Contact Email
bultmand@hu-berlin.de