A Violent History - by Giacomo Macola (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The first long-durée history of large-scale violence in the Congo Basin

Since the early nineteenth century, political and military violence has played an exceptionally significant role in the territory corresponding to the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo. By emphasising the periodic re-occurrence of "warlordism" and the economy of plunder that characterises it, the author Giacomo Macola offers new analytical tools to interpret the history of the societies of the Congo Basin over the past two hundred years. In the concluding chapters, Macola dwells on more recent events, detailing the collapse of Mobutu's Zaire, the "Great African War" and the reasons for the continuing armed instability in the east of the country.

Supplementing analyses of the contemporary dimension of African conflicts, Macola makes a case for the enduring importance of studying precolonial history.

English translation of Una storia violenta: Potere e conflitti nel bacino del Congo (XVIII-XXI secolo), Giacomo Macola (Luglio 2021)

Review Quotes

'A Violent History' compellingly employs warlordism as an analytical tool to study the history of the Congo Basin over the last 150 years. With this book, Macola shows that the study of the precolonial period is crucial for a full understanding of later developments, including contemporary dynamics. A must read for all historians working on the region and on conflicts in Africa. - Karin Pallaver, University of Bologna

Giacomo Macola fills a gap in scholarly literature on Central Africa: linking pre-colonial, colonial and the present times, he unravels the long-term mechanisms producing (extreme) violence in this troubled region. - Guy Vanthemsche, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Macola's book represents a fundamental contribution to the understanding of the continuities that characterise the power dynamics in the Congo Basin and that have made it, for over two centuries, one of the most violent areas in the world. - Luca Jourdan, University of Bologna

About the Author

Giacomo Macola is associate professor of African History at "La Sapienza" University of Rome. He is a corresponding member of the Académie Royale des Sciences d'Outre-Mer.