Author Arguments I Flashcards
What does Douek argue?
Douek argues that counterinsurgency (COIN) strategies developed under apartheid left enduring legacies in post-apartheid South Africa. These include authoritarian policing methods, privatization of security, and persistent urban violence.
What does Douek argue about the legacies of counterinsurgency strategies in post-apartheid South Africa?
They include authoritarian policing methods, privatization of security, and persistent urban violence.
Douek claims that COIN logics survived the transition and underpin democratic repression.
What is meant by ‘low-intensity democracy’ according to Douek?
‘Low-intensity democracy’ mirrors ‘low-intensity conflict’—superficially democratic, structurally militarised.
This concept critiques the superficial nature of democracy in the context of ongoing militarization.
What role did elite pacts during the transition play in South Africa’s security sector reform?
They disabled deeper reform of the security sector.
This indicates a compromise that prioritized stability over comprehensive change.
How did the ANC contribute to the legacies of apartheid according to Douek?
The ANC became complicit in these legacies, opting for stability over justice.
This suggests a betrayal of the transformative goals intended in the post-apartheid era.
What is Hultman’s main argument regarding RENAMO’s violence?
She shows it was a deliberate strategy of coercion, targeting civilians in government-aligned areas.
This counters the notion that their violence was irrational or indiscriminate.
What strategic purpose did RENAMO’s violence serve?
It aimed to generate ‘war fatigue’ among the Mozambican government by targeting specific zones.
This illustrates a calculated approach to insurgency.
What term does Madlingozi introduce to describe post-apartheid legal order?
‘Neo-apartheid constitutionalism’.
This term critiques how racial inequality persists under the guise of liberal justice.
What does Madlingozi say about the zone of non-being?
Poor Black people are excluded from true citizenship.
This highlights ongoing social exclusion in the post-apartheid context.
How has the human rights discourse been affected according to Madlingozi?
It has been co-opted by elites and white NGOs.
This reflects a disconnect between human rights advocacy and the realities of marginalized communities.
What concept does Gqola use to describe the state’s role in gendered violence?
‘Ruling violence’—violence that structures and maintains power.
This term connects state violence to broader power dynamics in society.
What does Gqola identify as a consequence of violent masculinities?
The social acceptance of male dominance and aggression.
This reinforces systemic gender violence.
What is Forster’s main argument regarding jihadism in Mozambique?
It stems from state neglect, corrupt resource extraction, and marginalisation of local communities.
This highlights the socio-economic factors contributing to extremism.
What key claim does Forster make about Cabo Delgado residents?
They see little benefit from the gas boom.
This indicates a disconnect between resource wealth and local welfare.
What does Metsola & Melber argue about ex-combatants in Namibia?
They were symbolically honoured but materially excluded.
This reflects the state’s fear of their potential to disrupt the new order.
What consequence did the lack of a truth commission have in Namibia?
It resulted in no narrative repair.
This emphasizes the importance of truth-telling in post-conflict societies.
What does the term ‘security-development nexus’ refer to in the context of Namibia?
Reintegration became surveillance.
This indicates a problematic approach to post-conflict reintegration efforts.
What does Alexander argue about the Marikana massacre?
It represents a betrayal of the liberation promise and illustrates that the ANC government governs in the interest of capital, not the working class.
The massacre involved the killing of 34 miners in 2012.
How is the Marikana massacre characterized in relation to state repression?
It is part of a continuum of state repression, not an aberration.
This reflects ongoing issues of violence against marginalized groups.
What view did the police and ANC elites hold about striking workers during the Marikana incident?
They saw them as illegitimate and threatening.
What does post-apartheid South Africa rely on to enforce neoliberal labour discipline?
Ruling violence.
What is the main argument of Alexander’s 2000 work on Zimbabwe?
Post-independence violence was a project to consolidate Shona-dominated ZANU-PF rule by eliminating ethnic and political pluralism.
What were the Gukurahundi massacres in Matabeleland primarily targeting?
Ndebele civilians.
How did ZANU frame the violence during the Gukurahundi massacres?
As nation-building, not repression.
