Boko Haram, bandits and slave-raiders

Identities and violence in a Central African borderland

Bibliographic Data

ID18985285
AuthorsMaceachern (0000-0002-4859-3998, Archaeology and Anthropology, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, China, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume54
Issue2
Pages247-263
Publication date2020-05-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCanadian Journal of African Studies / Revue canadienne des études africaines (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0008-3968 • E-ISSN: 1923-3051
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00083968.2019.1700142
OpenAlexW3022573428
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited36

Boko Haram is a religiously motivated insurgency with a complex history in Nigeria and origins in urban Maiduguri. Through most of its existence Boko Haram has shown an affinity for border regions: the frontier zones between Nigeria and Niger, the Mandara Mountains on the border with Cameroon, and the shorelines and islands of Lake Chad. This paper argues that this is an historically mediated process. Boko Haram as a borderland phenomenon echoes the hijra of Usman dan Fodio, but also structured forms of violence and wealth creation that have historically united elites and their followers in the region. Moreover, there are continuities between the actions and actors associated with earlier phases of border violence and processes involving Boko Haram today. This suggests that Boko Haram will not be “defeated,” but rather that the region will see a reversion to forms of border violence that were prevalent as recently as the early 2000s

Boko haram · Criminology · Frontier · Insurgency · Political economy · Political science · Sociology · African Studies and Geopolitics · Law · Peacebuilding and International Security · Political Conflict and Governance

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