A Violent History
Power and Conflict in the Congo Basin from the Nineteenth Century to the Present
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Leuven University Press
Published:3rd Sep '25
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The first long-durée history of large-scale violence in the Congo Basin
Since the early nineteenth century, political and military violence has played an exceptionally significant role in the territory corresponding to the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo. By emphasising the periodic re-occurrence of “warlordism” and the economy of plunder that characterises it, Giacomo Macola offers new analytical tools to interpret the history of the societies of the Congo Basin over the past two hundred years. In the concluding chapters, the author dwells on more recent events, detailing the collapse of Mobutu’s Zaire, the “Great African War” and the reasons for the continuing armed instability in the east of the country. Supplementing analyses of the contemporary dimension of African conflicts, Macola makes a case for the enduring importance of studying precolonial history.
This book will be made open access within three years of publication thanks to Path to Open, a program developed in partnership between JSTOR, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), University of Michigan Press, and The University of North Carolina Press to bring about equitable access and impact for the entire scholarly community, including authors, researchers, libraries, and university presses around the world. Learn more at https://about.jstor.org/path-to-open/
Giacomo Macola fills a gap in scholarly literature on Central Africa: linking pre-colonial, colonial and the present times, he unravels the long-term mechanisms producing (extreme) violence in this troubled region. - Guy Vanthemsche, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
'A Violent History' compellingly employs warlordism as an analytical tool to study the history of the Congo Basin over the last 150 years. With this book, Macola shows that the study of the precolonial period is crucial for a full understanding of later developments, including contemporary dynamics. A must read for all historians working on the region and on conflicts in Africa. - Karin Pallaver, University of Bologna
Macola's book represents a fundamental contribution to the understanding of the continuities that characterise the power dynamics in the Congo Basin and that have made it, for over two centuries, one of the most violent areas in the world. - Luca Jourdan, University of Bologna
Originally published in 2021 under the title 'Una storia violenta: Potere e conflitti nel bacino del Congo (XVIII–XXI secolo)', this book confirms Giacomo Macola’s sustained interest in the political and military history of Central Africa. Macola offers an ambitious analysis of violence in the Congo Basin over two centuries, mobilising two key concepts: “warlordism” as a recurrent phenomenon and “economy of plunder” as a structuring logic. These analytical tools aim to shed new light on the history and society of the Congo Basin. - Simplice Ayangma Bonoho, Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue Canadienne Des Études Africaines, February, 1–2, https://doi.org/10.1080/00083968.2026.2617697
Letztlich bietet Giacomo Macolas Buch »A Violent History« Studierenden, Nachwuchswissenschaftlern und historisch Interessierten eine gute Möglichkeit, sich einen ersten Überblick über die langjährige Konfliktgeschichte der DR Kongo zu verschaffen; aufgrund der jüngsten Konfliktdynamik, in der die M23-Rebellen als eine von mehreren Dutzend nicht-staatlichen kongolesischen Gewaltakteuren Anfang 2025 vermutlich mit ruandischer Unterstützung weite Teile des Ostkongo unter ihre Kontrolle brachten und eine parallele Administration etablierten, ist die Thematik aktueller denn je. Die Lektüre regt ferner dazu an, sich detaillierter mit den unterschiedlichen Facetten dieser – fortwährenden – Konfliktgeschichte zu beschäftigen, die für Prozesse und Strukturen – insbesondere Ausbeutung von Rohstoffen für die Produktion modernster Technologien in Asien, Nordamerika und Westeuropa – weit über diese Region hinaus von Relevanz sind. - Torsten Konopka, Militaergeschichtliche Zeitschrift, vol. 85, no. 1, 2026, pp. 200-203. https://doi.org/10.1515/mgzs-2026-0017
ISBN: 9789462704510
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 454g
272 pages