Conference: Conflict, Legitimacy and Authoritarian Rule

This one-day workshop proposes to look comparatively at the social and historical construction of political legitimacy in contexts of civil war, political instability, and authoritarian rule. What makes institutions and/or regimes legitimate in the midst of violent conflict and apparent disorder? How does institutional order emerge out of instability or conflict? How do authoritarian regimes build their legitimacy, in particular in post-civil war transition periods? What influence do resources (natural, material but also symbolic) have on the development and social perception of legitimate rule?

This event is part of the Africa Workshop sponsored by the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS) and the African Studies Center.