Magic and Warfare : Appearance and Reality in Contemporary African Conflict and Beyond

This study explores the roles played by magic in contemporary African warfare, specifically through the case of Sierra Leone, to assess its impact on behaviour in conflict. A conceptual framework is suggested for analysing culturally alien practices more broadly and to inform approaches to civilian and military intervention. This study explores the roles played by magic in contemporary African warfare, specifically through the case of Sierra Leone, to assess its impact on behaviour in conflict. In the last fifteen years, rituals designed to imbue people with supernatural power and make them immune to enemy fire have been seen on battlefields across Africa. Wlodarczyk argues that the use of magic in warfare can be understood, not as an illustration of how Africa's reality is qualitatively different from the West's, but as appropriate and logical. Here, a conceptual framework is suggested for analysing culturally alien practices more broadly, to inform approaches to civilian and military intervention not only in Africa but in conflict theatres around the world Front Matter....Pages i-xix Introduction....Pages 1-9 Front Matter....Pages 11-11 “Magic” In Contemporary Africa....Pages 13-25 Spirits In Battle....Pages 27-40 Thinking About Practice in Warfare....Pages 41-51 Front Matter....Pages 53-53 Notes on the Case Study....Pages 55-56 The Sierra Leone Civil War and Civil Defense....Pages 57-82 Spiritual Context as Habitus and Capital....Pages 83-91 Creating Magic Soldiers: Kamajor Mobilization and Initiation....Pages 93-111 The Kamajors in Battle: Magic, Tactics, and Success....Pages 113-130 Front Matter....Pages 131-131 Local Practice and the Wider World of Warfare....Pages 133-145 Back Matter....Pages 147-188