About this Research Topic

Background

Africa has recurrently been characterized by political instability and attempts of coup d’état, civil wars and, in the last few years, terrorism, generally of Islamic matrix. Since 2010, more than 40 coups d’états have been carried out. In many cases, they succeeded, leading as their main consequence to rapid political change. At the same time, the growing crisis of democracy in Africa – as all the international rankings show – led to civil wars and forms of protests, and to the formation of terrorist groups throughout the continent, with ties to international terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

However, political institutional changes do not tell the whole history. Despite the efforts made in the 1990s by many African States to adopt democratic constitutions and regimes, the number of coups d’état and political violence have not diminished, registering a significant increment in the last few years. African democracies became formal structures which respect human rights, the right to expression and political competition; nevertheless, their essence, in many cases, maintained the characteristics of authoritarian regimes, without any chance for a political change carried out through formal electoral processes.

In this scenario typical of the last three decades, out of the logic of the cold war, it is crucial to approach the current reality with an analysis focusing on domestic factors. As a matter of fact, it is impossible today to study coup d’état, civil conflicts, and the appearance of terrorist groups in Africa without a deep knowledge of each country involved in such episodes. While it is important not to neglect international factors, it is essential to emphasize the internal conditions for political debate, the actual chances of a democratic change and the management of power by the different African States.

International actors tend to condemn violence, especially coup d’état, which upset political life. However, it is important to try to understand why, in the last few months, in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea coup d’état have been implemented by subjects generally linked to the military, while in other countries, such as Mozambique, unknown phenomena of terrorism have manifested their violence since 2017. The shibboleth of many of these movements generally appeals to justice, inclusion, the struggle against corruption or violation of democratic rules, proposing an interpretative snapshot which is yet far away from being clearly understood.

The main purpose of this Research Topic on Violent transformations in Africa is to investigate the causes, characteristics, modes of action, objectives, and management of all the attempts carried out in Africa to lead to political change through violence. There are no geographical restrictions: all African countries and regions can be included as case-studies (a single country) or area-studies (e.g., the Sahel and Northern Africa), and various determinants can be considered by the authors: international influence, domestic factors (religion, ethnicity, economic and political conditions), and historical elements. The studies must be presented with a solid empirical basis, developed preferentially through a qualitative approach, giving an interpretative and theorical framework of the specific case analysed, beyond the mainstreaming of the condemnation of political violence.

This Research Topic welcomes contributions from researchers of diverse scientific backgrounds, such as political sciences, sociology, anthropology, African studies, and cultural studies. Given the complexity of the issues to be discussed, a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary approach will be necessary to interpret them. African authors and especially women are strongly encouraged to submit their articles.

Keywords: Coup d'Etat, Civil war, terrorism, crisis of democracy, political instability, political change, democracy crisis, human rights, democratic change, violent political transformation, international influence, domestic factors

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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