Christoph Kohl Book order

Focusing on the interplay of creole identity and national belonging, the book delves into how cultural and ethnic diversity, alongside political instability, shapes Guinea-Bissau's postcolonial landscape. It examines the influence of creole culture and leadership on nation-building, highlighting the emergence of new identities through cultural creolization. By integrating historical and contemporary perspectives, it offers insights into the unique dynamics of identity formation in this West African nation.

In 2012, twenty years after the conclusion of the peace treaty, the armed conflict between the former civil war parties broke out again in Mozambique. In addition to political and economic imbalances, the root causes seem to lie in deep-seated conflicts over memory cultures between the respective supporters of the two civil war parties. In his report, Christoph Kohl shows how a lack of reckoning with the past from the perspective of the politcs of memory prevents successful, inclusive nation-building. He explains which instruments could be used to further process and negotiate the different strands of memory in order to initiate a lasting pacification of Mozambique.

For the past decade, international donors have made efforts to reform the security sector in Guinea-Bissau – yet success has been elusive. Why have international reform concepts largely failed? By exploring reform attempts in the police sector, Christoph Kohl investigates the causes which led up to this situation. He identifies a number of problems concerning among others the communication or the course of action between the International Community and Bissau-Guinean institutions and gives advice on how to improve the solutions to security sector related issues. Dr Christoph Kohl is a senior researcher in the research group “The Cultural Dynamics of Political Globalisation”. His main areas of research are: security sector reform, ethnicity and creolization, and nation- and state-building processes, particularly in Africa.

For nearly ten years, various actors have made efforts to promote security sector reform (SSR) in West African Guinea-Bissau through ambitious programs and high levels of investment. However, circumstances within the country remain as dire as ever with reform efforts having partially contributed to further destabilizing and aggravating the political situation. The police, justice sector and armed forces neither work effectively nor in accordance with the principles of rule of law. Christoph Kohl analyzes the causes of this debacle, which also cast doubt on other SSR projects.