DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Ethnic Conflict in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa

0109155 Knauft/Davidson当代世界充斥着种族暴力的案例，多年甚至几代人的邻居转向暴力。解释这种冲突的理论解决了古老的敌意、政治操纵(特别是在向民主的动荡过渡期间)和对稀缺资源的竞争。一位文化人类学专业的学生进行的这篇论文研究项目将针对西非几内亚比绍的人种学现实来检验这些理论，在那里，两个群体--费卢佩人和富拉人之间的冲突导致暴力事件和家庭被迫离开社区。通过参与者观察、结构化访谈、家庭调查和档案研究，学生将探索不同种族背景下文化差异的定义；动员民族团结的模式；以及最近爆发的种族暴力的动态和轨迹。将研究亲属关系、种族间婚姻、土地保有权、宗教信仰、启蒙和社会化以及跨民族联盟的相对重要性。从这一仔细的案例研究中获得的新知识将对当代族裔冲突的理论家很有价值，并将促进我们对世界这一重要区域的了解。此外，该项目还有助于培训一名年轻的社会科学家。

0109155Knauft / Davidson The contemporary world if full of cases of ethnic violence, where people who have been neighbors for years, if not generations, turn to violence. Theories explaining such conflict have addressed ancient animosities, political manipulation (especially during turbulent transitions to democracy), and competition for scarce resources. This dissertation research project by a cultural anthropology student will test these theories against the ethnographic reality of Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, where clashes between two groups, the Felupe and the Fula, resulted in violence and forced removal of families from the community. Through participant observation, structured interviews, household surveys and archival research, the student will explore the definition of cultural differences in inter-ethnic contexts; the modes of mobilizing ethnic solidarity; and the dynamics and trajectory of recent outbursts of ethnic violence. The relative importance of kinship, inter-ethnic marriage, land tenure, religious affiliation, initiation and socialization, and cross-national ethnic alliances will be studied. The new knowledge to be gained form this careful case study will be valuable to theorists of contemporary ethnic conflict and will advance our understanding of this important region of the world. In addition the project contributes to the training of a young social scientist.