Decolonising Intervention: International Statebuilding in Mozambique

Main author: Sabaratnam, Meera
Format: Authored Books           
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id eprints-24281
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
topic JZ International relations
description Building, or re-building, states after war or crisis is a contentious process. But why? This book argues that to best answer the question, we need to engage with the people who are supposedly benefiting from international ‘expertise’. This book challenges and enhances standard ‘critical’ narratives of statebuilding by exploring the historical experiences and interpretive frameworks of the people targeted by intervention. Drawing on face-to-face interviews, archival research, policy reviews and in-country participant-observations carried out over several years, the book challenges assumptions underpinning external interventions, such as the incapacity of ‘local’ agents to govern and the necessity of ‘liberal’ values in demanding better governance. The analysis focuses on Mozambique, long hailed as one of international donors’ great success stories, but whose peaceful, prosperous, democratic future now hangs in the balance. Its conclusions underscore the significance of thinking with rather than for the targets of state-building assistance, and appreciating the historical and material conditions which underpin these reform efforts.
format Authored Books
author Sabaratnam, Meera
author_facet Sabaratnam, Meera
authorStr Sabaratnam, Meera
author_letter Sabaratnam, Meera
title Decolonising Intervention: International Statebuilding in Mozambique
publisher Rowman and Littlefield
publishDate 2017
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/24281/