The War Machines: Young Men and Violence in Sierra Leone and Liberia (The Cultures and Practice of Violence) - Softcover

Hoffman, Danny

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0822350777 ISBN 13: 9780822350774

Publisher: Duke University Press Books, 2011

Synopsis

In The War Machines, Danny Hoffman considers how young men are made available for violent labor both on the battlefields and in the diamond mines, rubber plantations, and other unregulated industries of West Africa. Based on his ethnographic research with militia groups in Sierra Leone and Liberia during those countries’ recent civil wars, Hoffman traces the path of young fighters who moved from grassroots community-defense organizations in Sierra Leone during the mid-1990s into a large pool of mercenary labor.

Hoffman argues that in contemporary West Africa, space, sociality, and life itself are organized around making young men available for all manner of dangerous work. Drawing on his ethnographic research over the past nine years, as well as the anthropology of violence, interdisciplinary security studies, and contemporary critical theory, he maintains that the mobilization of West African men exemplifies a global trend in the outsourcing of warfare and security operations. A similar dynamic underlies the political economy of violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, and a growing number of postcolonial spaces. An experienced photojournalist, Hoffman integrates more than fifty of his photographs of young West Africans into The War Machines.

About this title

About the Author:

Danny Hoffman is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Washington, Seattle. As a photojournalist, he documented conflicts in southern Africa and the Balkans from 1994 to 1998.

Review:

“Hoffman’s book is at once a tightly-wound first person account of life amongst Sierra Leone’s ‘lumpen proletariat’ and an impressive work of economic and cultural theory. It is this unusual lens that makes The War Machines so thought-provoking, even for those intimately familiar with the Mano River War, and Hoffman provides enough background and context that it is still a powerful read for the uninitiated. “ - D. Tsomondo, cool’eh

“This is an exceptional read for an audience well-beyond war and conflict interested anthropologists. Hoffman has an apt eye, is analytically sass and writes in straightforward prose. The book is richly illustrated with Hoffman’s excellent photos.” - Mats Utas, Anthropological Quarterly

“Hoffman avoids the common language of chaos and failed states, noting that though it is hard to idealize militia life, in this context it may be seen as asocial movement prepared to defend itself against external predations. Highly recommended.” - O. Pi-Sunyer, Choice

“This is a novel departure from most previous studies of youth and violence in Africa, and as such it is a necessary and provocative addition to the literature.... [A] wealth of material he brings to bear on our understanding of youth violence.” - Catherine Bolten, Anthropos

“It is to Hoffman’s great credit as a scholar and author that his writing... is equally compelling, deftly articulating political philosophical concepts (no small feat with the repertoire he has selected) and evocatively rendering dynamic social environments.... Hoffman succeeds in making the political, economic and social connections he sets out to make. The War Machines provides a welcome addition to the modest Mano River canon, and a valuable entry point for academic visitors in and voyageurs out.” - Zoe Marks, The Journal of Modern African Studies

“[A] path-breaking ethnography that offers a completely novel analytical framework for the anthropology of war in general, and for the interconnected wars in the West African Mano River Basin region in particular.” - Sverker Finnström, African Studies Quarterly

“The ethnographic narrative, as well as the crafted images throughout the text, conveys a rich and nuanced portrayal of the lives of Hoffman’s subjects and their context, which avoids at all times violence aestheticizing or full denial of individual’s agency.... This book is a must read for any serious scholar interested in the study of globalisation, post-colonialism, or visual research methodology.” - Yolanda C. Martin, Visual Studies

“It’s clear from the onset that the questions pursued are quite original and nontraditional for an anthropological reading of young West African combatants....widely accessable to those without a specific interest in an anthropological study of Africa.” - Sammy Badran, Theory & Event

“[A] path-breaking ethnography that offers a completely novel analytical framework for the anthropology of war in general, and for the interconnected wars in the West African Mano River Basin region in particular.” (Sverker Finnström African Studies Quarterly)

“Hoffman avoids the common language of chaos and failed states, noting that though it is hard to idealize militia life, in this context it may be seen as asocial movement prepared to defend itself against external predations. Highly recommended.” (O. Pi-Sunyer Choice)

About this edition

• Publisher: Duke University Press Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0822350777
• ISBN 13: 9780822350774
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 328