
Mask of Anarchy
The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War
Stephen Ellis(Author)
New York University Press
Published on 1. September 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
366 pages
978-0-8147-2238-1 (ISBN)
Description
Liberia has been one of Africa's most violent trouble spots. In 1990, when thousands of teenage fighters, including young men wearing women's clothing and bizarre objects of decoration, laid siege to the capital, the world took notice. Since then Liberia has been through devastating civil upheaval. What began as a civil conflict, has spread to other West African nations. Eschewing popular stereotypes and simple explanations, Stephen Ellis traces the history of the civil war that has blighted Liberia in recent years and looks at its political, ethnic and cultural roots. He focuses on the role religion and ritual have played in shaping and intensifying this brutal war. In this edition, with a new preface by the author, Ellis provides a current picture of Liberia and details how much of the same problems still exist.
Reviews / Votes
"Outstanding... A model of lucid writing, thorough research, and penetrating interpretation, this is one of the best books on Africa in recent years." -Foreign Affairs "By far and away the best on the Liberian civil war. It is difficult to praise it too highly: lucid yet avoiding over-simplification, and entirely free of cant or ideological preconceptions, it is a model of its kind." -The Sunday Telegraph "Cogently argued and supported by a wealth of observation" -Times Literary Supplement "No other available account of the civil war is as concise, accurate, or lucid." -Christian Scholar's Review "Ellis has written a very honest and brave book about a ghastly human experience which has, one learns, much less to do with the primordial past than about the future." -Ecclesiastical HistoryMore details
Edition
Updated ed
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 151 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
547 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8147-2238-1 (9780814722381)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Stephen Ellis is a senior researcher at the Afrika-Studiecentrum, Leiden University and co-editor of African Affairs.