The Mask of Anarchy Updated Edition: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War
Liberia has been one of Africa’s most violent trouble spots. In 1990, when thousands of teenage fighters, including young men wearing women’s clothing and bizarre objects of decoration, laid siege to the capital, the world took notice. Since then Liberia has been through devastating civil upheaval. What began as a civil conflict, has spread to other West African nations.
Eschewing popular stereotypes and simple explanations, Stephen Ellis traces the history of the civil war that has blighted Liberia in recent years and looks at its political, ethnic and cultural roots. He focuses on the role religion and ritual have played in shaping and intensifying this brutal war. In this edition, with a new preface by the author, Ellis provides a current picture of Liberia and details how much of the same problems still exist.

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The Mask of Anarchy Updated Edition: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War
Liberia has been one of Africa’s most violent trouble spots. In 1990, when thousands of teenage fighters, including young men wearing women’s clothing and bizarre objects of decoration, laid siege to the capital, the world took notice. Since then Liberia has been through devastating civil upheaval. What began as a civil conflict, has spread to other West African nations.
Eschewing popular stereotypes and simple explanations, Stephen Ellis traces the history of the civil war that has blighted Liberia in recent years and looks at its political, ethnic and cultural roots. He focuses on the role religion and ritual have played in shaping and intensifying this brutal war. In this edition, with a new preface by the author, Ellis provides a current picture of Liberia and details how much of the same problems still exist.

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The Mask of Anarchy Updated Edition: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War

The Mask of Anarchy Updated Edition: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War

by Stephen Ellis
The Mask of Anarchy Updated Edition: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War

The Mask of Anarchy Updated Edition: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War

by Stephen Ellis

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Overview

Liberia has been one of Africa’s most violent trouble spots. In 1990, when thousands of teenage fighters, including young men wearing women’s clothing and bizarre objects of decoration, laid siege to the capital, the world took notice. Since then Liberia has been through devastating civil upheaval. What began as a civil conflict, has spread to other West African nations.
Eschewing popular stereotypes and simple explanations, Stephen Ellis traces the history of the civil war that has blighted Liberia in recent years and looks at its political, ethnic and cultural roots. He focuses on the role religion and ritual have played in shaping and intensifying this brutal war. In this edition, with a new preface by the author, Ellis provides a current picture of Liberia and details how much of the same problems still exist.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780814722381
Publisher: New York University Press
Publication date: 09/01/2006
Edition description: Updated Edition
Pages: 366
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Stephen Ellis is a senior researcher at the Afrika-Studiecentrum, Leiden University and co-editor of African Affairs.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgements     vii
Acronyms     xiii
Introduction: African wars     1
A death in the night     1
War and barbarism     17
A Chronicle
The First of the Warlords     31
A frontier society     31
Government, trade and politics     43
Chairman Doe     54
Quiwonkpa's legacy: the NPFL     65
Lean and Hungry Years     75
The Nimba County campaign     75
Splits in the NPFL     80
Greater and Lesser Liberia     87
New factions     94
Monrovia, 1996: the final battle     104
The Mechanics of War     110
Punishing Monrovia     112
The profit motive     120
Factions as political organisations     132
Military organisations and civilian life     141
Business and Diplomacy     150
The West African balance of power     151
The game of nations     158
Markets and rackets     164
Colonies and non-colonies     181
An Inquiry
A Nation Long Forlorn     191
Settlers and others     191
The politics of statelesssocieties     198
Liberian administration     206
The Liberian state     211
Men and Devils     220
Poro business is eating business     223
Secret societies under Liberian administration     237
The political assimilation of religious ritual     245
Ritual killing and modern politics     249
War, power and the spiritual order     259
The psychology of transformation     266
False Prophets     281
Politicians     281
A conflict of generations     285
Culture and imagination     291
Some implications for the wider world     304
The family tree     309
Annexes
Casualties of the Liberian war, 1989-97     312
List of principal characters     317
Bibliography     321
Index     339

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

-,

“Outstanding. . . . A model of lucid writing, thorough research, and penetrating interpretation, this is one of the best books on Africa in recent years.”
-Foreign Affairs

,

“No other available account of the civil war is as concise, accurate, or lucid.”
-Christian Scholar's Review

,

“Cogently argued and supported by a wealth of observation”
-Times Literary Supplement

,

“By far and away the best on the Liberian civil war. It is difficult to praise it too highly: lucid yet avoiding over-simplification, and entirely free of cant or ideological preconceptions, it is a model of its kind.”
-The Sunday Telegraph

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