Magic and warfare : appearance and reality in contemporary African conflict and beyond / Nathalie Wlodarczyk.

1st ed.

New York City : Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.

1 online resource. (xvi, 188 pages) : illustrations, digital, pdf

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This study explores the roles played by magic in contemporary African warfare, specifically through the case of Sierra Leone, to assess its impact on behaviour in conflict. In the last fifteen years, rituals designed to imbue people with supernatural power and make them immune to enemy fire have been seen on battlefields across Africa. Wlodarczyk argues that the use of magic in warfare can be understood, not as an illustration of how Africa's reality is qualitatively different from the West's, but as appropriate and logical. Here, a conceptual framework is suggested for analysing culturally alien practices more broadly, to inform approaches to civilian and military intervention not only in Africa but in conflict theatres around the world.

Palgrave social science collection 2010.

Print version. Wlodarczyk, Nathalie. Magic and warfare. 1st ed. New York City : Palgrave Macmillan, 2009

Books / Online

English

April 19, 2018

Includes bibliographical references (pages 171-176) and index.

Electronic books.

Palgrave Connect (Online service)