ECHOINGWARS

Echoing Wars. How Variations in War Narratives Within a Globally Dispersed Community Impact Conflicts Through Feedback Mechanisms

ECHOINGWARS is based on two observations: war narratives and their variations are central to understanding war, and conflicts in post-colonial societies lead to territorial dispersion of populations on a global scale. While communities directly experiencing war and those in exile are usually studied separately (conflict studies and refugee studies), it is crucial to consider these globally dispersed communities as interconnected and key actors in the construction of war narratives. However, these communities experience narrative variations based on their location, encompassing both similarities and differences. The project's originality lies in viewing these narrative variations as essential to understanding their potential impact on the conflicts themselves.

The main objective (MO) of the project is to study how variations in the war narratives of a globally dispersed community influences conflicts in the African Great Lakes region. To understand these influences, the project will analyze the feedback mechanisms (echoes) between conflict justification presented by key political actors and the variations in war narratives within a globally dispersed community. To study the narratives, the project will focus on memories of emblematic past conflicts. Therefore, the project will be articulated around three specific objectives: (SO1) The historiography of a contested ethnic naming; (SO2) The memory of the past violence in landscape; (SO3) The influence of intergenerational tensions on politicization. 

The study will focus on wars in the African Great Lakes region, specifically those involving the pastoral Banyamulenge community. This case was chosen for three reasons: (1) Due to colonization, this community is a border population; (2) Due to past conflicts, this community has become globally dispersed; and (3) In a context of ongoing wars in the GLR, this community has shifted from a marginal to a central position in the discourses of key political officials.

Aurore VERMYLEN - 01/09/2025 – 28/02/2029