Transforming Forms of Political Violence during Disengagement Processes

Abstract

The panel explores processes of disengagement from political violence. It examines changing forms of violence, the political and social dynamics of ‘exit’ from violence and the relationship between disengagement by armed groups and the wider socio-political context. We welcome papers that deal with all aspects of disengagement from political violence but particularly those that focus on changes in forms of violence. As groups prepare to end militant campaigns they often intensify and shift the focus of their violence. As campaigns are halted some forms of violence come to an end but others continue and in some cases new forms of violence come to the fore. These changes in forms of violence are in turn embedded in wider relationships and are shaped by both-intra-party and inter-party power relations. One core assumption of the panel organisers is that insights can be gained from considering the elements of continuity (in rationale, objectives, legitimation) in a group’s disengagement from violence, rather than focusing exclusively on what has been transformed. Among the issues that papers might address are: How do different forms, repertoires and tactical uses of violence shape processes of disengagement from violence and subsequent long-term processes of stabilization and integration? What is the impact of transition and disengagement for the actor groups concerned, including the challenge of leadership and managing the risk of fragmentation. What effect does disengagement from violence and the persistence of certain forms of violence have on militant organisations and their political prospects in a changed socio-political context? How do changes in the wider context facilitate and promote disengagement from violence, be they minimal changes such as the lifting of censorship of a party or major changes like the rewriting of a constitution or the redrawing of a state border?