Instructors: Prof. Dr. Katja Werthmann
Event type: Seminar
Org-unit: 03-African Studies
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Hours per week: 2
Language of instruction: English
Official course description: Security from crime and disorder is a major concern for citizens all over the world. In many nation-states of Africa, state security forces are not present in all parts of countries and cities. Nonstate actors such as bodyguards, local anti-crime groups, night watchmen or vigilantes provide security in rural and urban areas. This has led to an increase of studies in anthropology, sociology and political sciences on the role of nonstate security providers and their (dis)connection with the state. In this seminar, we will compare various domains and practices of providing security by state and nonstate actors in several African countries and relate them to discussions about “weak” states.
