I am interested in examining the role of violence in nomadic and pastoralist populations in the Sahel and Sahara regions, particularly Mali, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania. Violent extremist organizations (VEO’s), ethnic militias, rebels, and other armed militias have all become active in some parts of this region, and there are gaps in our understanding concerning the roles of pastoralist groups. I hope to examine these gaps by focusing on the factors contributing to joining VEO’s, rebellions, armed/ethnic militias, and other movements for different pastoralist groups. There is a critical need to assess what differences there are between pastoralists and other groups who join VEO’s (and why). Are they more or less violent? What are the reasons they join these groups? How does their leadership of such VEO’s differ from more established groups?
Like many existing projects, I am also interested in the issues of borders, governance, migration, markets, states, ethnicity, language, and religion. I want to better understand the influences and decisions determining why some pastoralists join VEO’s and others don’t. Further, I have an interest in analyzing fragmentation (or factionalism) for both pastoralist groups and the VEO’s they join, and critically examine the potential interaction or influence between people’s background (region, state, ethnicity, tribe) and the likelihood for fragmentation in the groups they join. One major question is: Is factionalism/fragmentation a trait or quality that can be carried and transmitted from group or tribe to social movements?
My research specifically focuses upon Mali, and within Mali the Inner Niger Delta region around Mopti. This has become, by some measures, one of the most unstable and violent regions in the world. The northern Azawad region of Mali, once the epicenter of rebellion and then violent extremism and jihadism, has recently spread to central Mali and the Mopti region. Ethnic violence - often in the form of ethnic/community militias - has accompanied the spread of extremism, as ethnic groups and communities seek to arm and defend themselves against the perceived threat of extremism, governmental/military abuses, and violence by other ethnic groups. The confluence of these complex, historical, political, and violent factors has threatened peace and security in the region. For my dissertation, I plan to conduct field-work in this region, supplemented by data analysis using ACLED data, literature review, and quantitative/qualitative analyses of collected data.
A recent presentation I did at the Florida Society of Geographers in February of 2020.