Political Identity and Conflict in Central Angola, 1975–2002

Front Cover
Cambridge University Press, Jul 2, 2015 - Political Science
This book examines the internal politics of the war that divided Angola for more than a quarter-century after its independence. It emphasises the Angolan people's relationship to the rival political forces that prevented the development of a united nation, an aspect of the conflict that has received little attention in earlier studies. Drawing upon interviews with farmers, town dwellers, soldiers and politicians in Central Angola, Justin Pearce examines the ideologies about nation and state that elites deployed in pursuit of hegemony and traces how people responded to these attempts at politicisation. The book not only demonstrates the potency of the rival conceptions of state and nation in shaping perceptions of self-interest and determining political loyalty, but also shows the ways in which allegiances could and did change for much of the Angolan population in response to the experience of military force.
 

Contents

AntiColonial Mobilisation and the Portuguese Exodus
23
From the Cities to the Long March
47
The MPLA and Urban State Making
65
Migration Relocation and Identity
80
UNITA in the Central Highlands 19761991
93
UNITA at Jamba
107
The War of the Cities
125
UNITAs Last Redoubts
143
The Luena Agreement and Politics Today
159
Conclusion
174
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2015)

Justin Pearce is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge and an associate of St John's College. He has published in journals including African Affairs and the Journal of Southern African Studies.

Bibliographic information