International relations

The Politics of Armed Groups: Rebels, State and Society

Module code: 014IRSID
Level 6
30 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Seminar
Assessment modes: Not yet finalised

This module takes non-state armed groups as an entry point for understanding the dynamics of contemporary violent conflict and ways to address it. You’ll explore the main protagonists of violent conflict and the ways they mobilise, organise, fight and govern in situations of protracted armed conflict and fragmented statehood.

Structured in three parts, the module introduces you to:

• theories about the root causes and drivers of contemporary violent conflict
• concepts for understanding the politics of non-state armed groups and their multifarious relations to state and society
• a range of policy processes and interventions that aim at ending and transforming violent conflict.

You’ll draw on interdisciplinary debates and case studies from around the world. You are encouraged to choose particular armed groups, to explore how theories and concepts work out by doing you own empirical research.