Turbulent vs Stable Cooperation: How (Dis)location Affects Pathways of Civilian Cooperation in Boko Haram–controlled Territory

About

Speaker: Antonia Juelich, Research Fellow, International Security Program

Most people assume that civilians cooperate with rebels when they share their cause, and that the absence of cooperation signifies tacit or active resistance. However, this seminar seeks to reveal greater variation in civilian motivations and behavior in rebel-controlled territory. Based on interviews with people who have lived under Boko Haram's rule in Northeast Nigeria, it sheds light on the interplay between rebel structures and civilian agency in war zones. Depending on whether civilians stay in a rebel camp or an occupied community, they have to adapt to different structures and ruptures, which produces pathways of cooperation that are turbulent or stable, respectively. The findings challenge the politically charged assumptions of cooperation and collusion to focus on constraints and possibilities for civilian—and armed group—survival.

Everyone is welcome to join us online via Zoom! Please register in advance for this seminar: https://harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYrc-2rrDIoGdeObnA5JECzhYXlRjnqkaOR 

Contact

For more information, email the International Security Program Assistant at susan_lynch@harvard.edu.