Civil Wars and State Formation

Abstract

In recent years, research on civil wars has moved from a single focus on the causes of conflict to studying the modalities of social life and political rule in times of war. Studies of ‘rebel governance’ have thus shown that understanding the day-to-day politics of civil war matters. Indeed, rebels do not rule by sheer military power and the threat of violence alone. They also (strive to) establish relations and institutions of governance. Civil wars, in other words, do not simply destroy political orders. They contribute to shaping them and, thereby, to producing the state. In this Panel we propose to look at three aspects of these dynamics. (1) Manufacturing consent: what are the concrete dynamics of the production of legitimacy in times of war? What are the modalities of the passage from raw power (Macht) to domination (Herrschaft) — a type of authority that is based on obedience and recognition rather than sheer physical force? (2) Institutionalising rule: How does military control translate (or not) into civilian institutions intended to regulate the daily business of (social) life in times of war? How do these institutions relate to other pre-established institutions of public authority? (3) State formation from war to peace: How do governance institutions set up during civil wars ‘survive’ in a post-war environment? What is the impact of the modalities of peace (peace agreement vs. military victory) on the different orders of legitimacy negotiated during conflict?

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