"In this final paper I argue that theories on civil war today are insufficient as to fully explain the reasons that the violence in Democratic Republic of Congo[DRC] has reached an intensity and persistence, that not even the UNs second-largest peace-keeping force is to control the violent forces.
I use this a starting point for an investigation of the evolution in social structures in DRC during colonialism and independence before and after the Cold War. This shows how a breakdown of social structures and institutions led to fragile or dysfunctional neopatrimonialism under President Mobutu and a social structure after the Cold War that revolves around violence. This leads to a discussion of reasons for the persistence and the character of the violence in DRC."
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 THEORIES ON CIVIL WAR
2.2 A SOCIAL APPROACH OF WAR
3. TRACING THE BREAKDOWN OF A SOCIAL STRUCTURE
3.1 PRE-COLONIAL SOCIETY
3.2 IN THE COLONIAL ERA
3.3 AFTER INDEPENDENCE
3.4 AFTER THE FALL OF MOBUTU
3.5 CONCLUSION
4. THE PATTERNS OF VIOLENCE
4.1 THE ELITES
4.2 THE SOLDIERS AND THE CIVILIANS
4.3 THE POLITICAL CULTURE
5. CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Themes
The paper examines the persistence and character of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo by analyzing the evolution of its social structures from the pre-colonial era to the post-Mobutu period. It argues that modern civil war theories are insufficient because they overlook the historical context of societal breakdowns and the cultural roots of violence, ultimately positing that the conflict is driven more by societal interaction than simple rational actors.
- Historical evolution of Congolese social structures.
- Impact of colonialism on traditional patrimonial systems.
- The neopatrimonial regime of Mobutu and its collapse.
- The role of ethnicity, land disputes, and political culture in sustaining violence.
- Interactions between soldiers, civilians, and elite political strategies.
Excerpt from the Book
PATRIMONIALISM IN PRE-COLONIAL TIMES
The social system of pre-colonial Congolese societies was traditional patrimonialism. Tradition and religion placed the chief or the clan leader in the top of social hierarchy. The patriarchy or matriarchy of the extended family was thus reflected in the higher level of social organization.
There was no distinction between public and private sphere, because all property was communally held and distributed. Personal rewards in land distributions made the community members dependent on the clan leader or the chief materially.
The clan leader or chief gained authority from his kinship ties with the ancestors and descendants. He thereby tied the present and the past together ensuring stability and continuation. This restrained violence, because the social system of status was fixed and informally institutionalized. You only had a chance at leadership if you were the son of the leader. This lowered competition for status and land.
There existed conflict over borders and land between ethnic groups. These were often settled through councils or intermarriage, meaning that Congolese society had few real limits, because extended families were often connected one another through married extended families (Mukenge 2002: 179). Their warfare was highly ritualized(Hochschild 1998: 73).
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Presents the research problem regarding the intensity and persistence of violence in the DRC, arguing that existing theories fail to address historical social dynamics.
2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: Critically evaluates existing civil war theories such as Cold War legacies, grievance, and UN reconstruction approaches, advocating for a social approach to understanding war.
3. TRACING THE BREAKDOWN OF A SOCIAL STRUCTURE: Analyzes how pre-colonial society, the colonial era, and the Mobutu regime destroyed traditional social cohesion, leading to instability.
4. THE PATTERNS OF VIOLENCE: Examines how different actors, including elites, soldiers, and civilians, utilize violence as a tool for status, survival, and negotiation.
5. CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the historical and sociological findings to confirm that conflict in the DRC is deeply rooted in the long-term breakdown of social and property rights systems.
Keywords
Democratic Republic of Congo, Civil War, Social Structure, Patrimonialism, Neopatrimonialism, Colonization, Mobutu, Ethnic Conflict, Land Disputes, Political Culture, Violence, Kinship, Sovereignty, Militia, Proxy War.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this research paper?
The paper explores why the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo is so persistent and intense, arguing that it stems from long-term changes in social structures rather than modern political disruptions alone.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The study covers the transition from pre-colonial tribal organization to colonial rule, the Mobutu regime, and the post-Cold War era, focusing on how these shifts affected the Congolese people.
What is the primary research goal?
The aim is to identify the root causes of the intensity and persistence of violence in the DRC by looking beyond standard geopolitical explanations.
Which scientific method is utilized in this paper?
The author utilizes a process-tracing historical and sociological method to analyze how societal shifts over the last 150 years have contributed to current conflict patterns.
What is addressed in the main body of the text?
The main body examines the evolution of Congolese social structures, the impact of colonialism, the nature of the neopatrimonial state under Mobutu, and the specific patterns of violence used by elites and soldiers.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as neopatrimonialism, social breakdown, political culture, and ethnic conflict.
How did the colonial era contribute to the current instability?
Colonialism eradicated the legitimacy of traditional leaders, commoditized communally held land, and created an artificial administrative system that marginalized the rural population.
In what way does the author describe the Motubu regime's network?
The author describes Mobutu's system as a neopatrimonial network of concentric circles of clients, held together by rewards, sanctions, and divide-and-conquer tactics.
- Quote paper
- Malene Mortensen (Author), 2013, The breakdown of societal order in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/233558
