ABSTRACT

This paper systematically maps the field of scholarly works on the theme of youth and violent conflict in Africa. It reviews the evidentiary base of the nexus between youth and violent conflicts in Africa by interrogating the conceptual, methodological, and empirical foundations of the different explanations adduced for why and how youth participate in armed conflicts. It observes that the evidence base linking youth vulnerability and exclusion with violence is generally mixed across the board; each extant perspective offers some useful insights within its narrow conceptual and methodological contours. In addition, the social agency of youth and the power context of society are crucial to understanding the link between youth and violence, and the risk of violence in Africa. Social agency speaks to why and how youth encounter, process, interpret and act on social phenomena, including violence. It highlights the need for further research into the dynamic nature of how youth identities interact with new trends in violence and insecurity such as violent riots and protests and post-election violence, among others.

摘要

本文系统地描绘了以非洲青年与暴力冲突为主题的学术著作领域。它通过询问关于青年为何以及如何参与武装冲突的不同解释的概念、方法和经验基础，回顾了青年与非洲暴力冲突之间关系的证据基础。它观察到，将青年脆弱性和排斥与暴力联系起来的证据基础通常是全面混合的；每个现存的观点都在其狭隘的概念和方法论轮廓内提供了一些有用的见解。此外，青年的社会能动性和社会的权力背景对于理解青年与暴力之间的联系以及非洲的暴力风险至关重要。社会能动性讲述了青年为何以及如何遭遇、处理、解释社会现象并采取行动，包括暴力。它强调需要进一步研究青年身份如何与暴力和不安全的新趋势（如暴力骚乱和抗议以及选举后暴力等）相互作用的动态性质。