Upcoming Events

Ideology, Affect, and the Politics of Disavowal: Notes on Syria, Prof Lisa Wedeen

If the Arab uprisings seemed initially to herald the end of tyrannies and a move toward liberal democratic governments, their current defeat not only marks a reversal but is of a piece with new forms of authoritarianism emerging worldwide. This convergence on authoritarianism has prompted scholars to wonder with renewed urgency why citizens are so […]

Rethinking Insurgent Masculinities: Ideology, Identity and Change in the People’s War in Nepal, Dr Heidi Riley

Discussant: Dr Hanna Ketola (Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Civil War Paths project) Heidi Riley is a research fellow in the School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin. Her research straddles multiple areas of peace and conflict scholarship, including insurgency and ideology, gender and masculinity, peace mediation, and conflict-related trauma. She is currently a Principal […]

Who’s Baby? The Birth of Pro-governmental Militias in Colombia, Professor Francisco Gutiérrez Sanín

Discussant: Eduardo Álvarez-Vanegas (PhD researcher, Civil War Paths project) Francisco Gutiérrez Sanín is a Professor at the Institute of Political Studies and International Relations, National University of Colombia, and the Director of the Observatory on Land Restitution. He is a sociologist and anthropologist whose work explores political systems, power and conflict. His extensive research on […]

Civil War Paths Conference

Welcome - 12:00-12:15 Panel 1 Processual Approaches to Civil War - 12:15-1:15 Panel 2 State-Rebel Dynamics - 1:30-2:30 Panel 3 Territorial and Social Frontiers - 2:45-3:45 Panel 4 Transitions and Legacies - 4:00-5:00

Mapping Civil War Cases, Civil War Paths Team

Discussant: Michael Livesey (Research Assistant, Civil War Paths) An update on the Civil War Paths case-mapping process, and introduction to case studies selected for in-depth qualitative research, one year into the project.

Into and Out of the Coup-Civil War Trap, Professor Philip Roessler

Discussant: Dr Anastasia Shesterinina (Director, Centre for the Comparative Study of Civil War) Philip Roessler is Margaret Hamilton Associate Professor of Government and Director of the African Research Center at William & Mary. His research investigates conflict and state-building in sub-Saharan Africa, including work exploring the link between coups and civil war. Ongoing projects address […]

Rebel Group Formation in Africa, Professor Janet Lewis

Discussant: Eduardo Álvarez-Vanegas (PhD Researcher, Civil War Paths) Janet Lewis is Assistant Professor in Political Science at George Washington University. Her research centres on clandestine violence and state formation, focussing on sub-Saharan Africa. Her recent book examined how rebel groups form, and why many fail. She continues to work on armed conflict – as well […]

Social Movements and Civil Wars, Professor Donatella della Porta

Discussant: Dr Hanna Ketola (Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Civil War Paths) Donatella della Porta is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center on Social Movement Studies at the Scuola Normale Superiore. She has led research on social movements, political violence, corruption, and policing. Her present research reflects on popular organisation in response to the […]

Narrative Identity and the Experience of Violence, Professor Wendy Pearlman

Discussant: Dr Toni Rouhana (Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Civil War Paths) Wendy Pearlman is Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University. Professor Pearlman has written widely on processes of mobilisation in Palestine and Syria, the logic of Israeli coercion strategies, and the lived experience of forced migration. Her current work extends the latter […]

The Civil War Paths Project, Dr Anastasia Shesterinina

Anastasia Shesterinina is Director of the Centre for the Comparative Study of Civil War at the University of Sheffield. Her past projects explore the internal dynamics of armed conflict: focussing on social mobilisation, ex-combatant demobilisation, and civilian protection norms. As principal investigator on the Civil War Paths project, her present research seeks to understand the […]

Theses-in-Progress in Conversation

Problematising “Civil” in Civil War and “Peace” in Peacebuilding – Elena Simon and Henry StaplesRethinking Civic Engagement in Contexts of Political Violence – Ahmed Bastaki and Amna Kaleem Chair: Dr Anastasia Shesterinina

Projects in Progress: Environmental Activism

Violence against Environmental Activists in Colombia – Dr Jonathan GamuSocial Movements and the Ecologies of Survival in Egypt and Turkey – Dr Cemal Burak Tansel Chair: Pr Jan Selby