CAR talk: ethnic and religious identity in the Central African Republic
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Authors
Wieczorek, Evan M.
Subjects
Central African Republic
identity
ethnicity
religion
identity shifts
identity
ethnicity
religion
identity shifts
Advisors
Piombo, Jessica
Date of Issue
2017-12
Date
Dec-17
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
This thesis examines the prioritization of religious identity among Central Africans in the wake of the 2013 Séléka crisis. Before the Séléka came to power, ethnicity was the identity that had the most political salience in the Central African Republic. During the crisis, religious identity was prioritized over all others. This thesis researched a number of possible causes of this identity shift, from the agendas of domestic and foreign politics to mass-level tensions and demographic changes. This thesis argues that the prioritization of religious identity over ethnic identity among Central Africans is an example of an elite-driven identity change. After being driven from power, southern political elites mobilized Christianity in response to the Séléka takeover because it was an identity the majority of southern Central Africa could rally behind.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs (NSA)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.