Towards a pluralistic account of gangs: Perspectives from Sub-Saharan Africa

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dc.contributor.advisorLamb, Guyen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMeek, Stephanie Angelaen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2023-03-02T10:22:16Z
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-18T07:18:08Z
dc.date.available2023-03-02T10:22:16Z
dc.date.available2023-05-18T07:18:08Z
dc.date.issued2023-03
dc.descriptionThesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: There is no universally accepted definition of a gang. Conceptual ambiguity underlies the study of gangs, and as such, there is little consensus on what a gang is or what its core features entail. Furthermore, most of the literature on gangs is derived from Western contexts, predominantly North America and Europe. The field of research on gangs in Africa is markedly understudied. Gangs on the continent are responsible for high levels of violence, exhibit connections to transnational organised crime, and play a significant role in political processes and state corruption, highlighting the importance of studying these groups. There is, however, a distinct lack of information on the operations, size, and structure of gangs on the continent. The nature of the relationships between gangs and the state, as well as between gangs and society in the African context, are also not explored in great depth. This brings into question whether the dominant existing literature can adequately account for gangs in Africa, or whether a more nuanced perspective is required to understand these groups. This thesis aims to address this concern, by investigating why gangs in Africa are distinctive from those in the Global North, which involves examining their essential characteristics. Sub-Saharan Africa is selected as the geographical region in which this analysis takes place, and the research is informed by case studies based on the operations of gangs in major cities in South Africa, Sierra Leone, Kenya, and Nigeria. The information gleaned from these case studies is used to construct a typology of gangs in Sub-Saharan Africa, to enhance knowledge of these groups. The gangs are categorised according to four features, namely their objectives, relationship with the state, relationship to society, and degree of institutionalisation. It is acknowledged that the strict categorisation of gangs into different types is often an ineffective pursuit, given the flexibility and dynamism of these groups, and the typology is in this sense perhaps better understood as a heuristic framework to help understand gangs in Sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, the analysis of gangs in the African context holds implications for the concept of the ‘gang’ as well as for its utility in accounting for gangs in non-Western settings. It is argued that a pluralistic account of gangs is necessary to make sense of these groups, with the understanding that these groups appear to defy definition and are dynamic rather than static. This entails that their capacity for transformation should be central to how they are conceptualised, which allows for the intersections and overlapping between different non-state armed groups, a feature that is important to incorporate in notions of how gangs operate in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study therefore endeavours to provide a foundation for further research by offering an examination of gangs that are not well-studied, evaluating why they are distinctive from ostensibly similar groups in the Global North, and re-assessing how they can be understood and conceptualised.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar is geen universeel aanvaarde definisie van 'n bende nie. Konseptuele dubbelsinnigheid onderlê die studie van bendes, en as sodanig is daar min konsensus oor wat 'n bende is of wat die kernkenmerke daarvan behels. Verder is die meeste literatuur oor bendes afkomstig uit Westerse kontekste, hoofsaaklik Noord-Amerika en Europa. Dit het 'n leemte in die literatuur gelaat met betrekking tot bendes in die Afrika-konteks. Bendes in Afrika is verantwoordelik vir hoë vlakke van geweld, toon verbintenisse met transnasionale georganiseerde misdaad, en speel 'n beduidende rol in politieke prosesse en staatskorrupsie, wat die belangrikheid beklemtoon om hierdie groepe te bestudeer. Daar is egter 'n duidelike gebrek aan inligting oor die bedrywighede, grootte en struktuur van bendes op die vasteland. Die aard van die verhoudings tussen bendes en die staat, asook tussen bendes en die samelewing in die Afrika-konteks, word ook nie in groot diepte ondersoek nie. Dit bring die vraag of die dominante bestaande literatuur voldoende rekenskap kan gee van bendes in Afrika, en of 'n meer genuanseerde perspektief nodig is om hierdie groepe te verstaan. Hierdie tesis het ten doel om hierdie bekommernis aan te spreek deur te ondersoek waarom bendes in Afrika verskil van dié in die Globale Noorde, wat die ondersoek van hul kern kenmerke behels. Sub-Sahara Afrika word gekies as die geografiese streek waarin hierdie ontleding plaasvind, en die navorsing word ingelig deur gevallestudies gebaseer op die bedrywighede van bendes in groot stede in Suid-Afrika, Sierra Leone, Kenia en Nigerië. Die inligting wat uit hierdie gevallestudies verkry word, word gebruik om 'n tipologie van bendes in Sub-Sahara Afrika te konstrueer, om kennis van hierdie groepe te verbeter. Die bendes word volgens vier kenmerke gekategoriseer, naamlik hul doelwitte, verhouding met die staat, verhouding tot die samelewing en mate van institusionalisering. Daar word erken dat die streng kategorisering van bendes in verskillende tipes dikwels 'n ondoeltreffende strewe is, gegewe die buigsaamheid en dinamika van hierdie groepe, en die tipologie word in hierdie sin miskien beter verstaan as 'n heuristiese raamwerk om bendes in Sub-Sahara Afrika te help verstaan. Terselfdertyd hou die ontleding van bendes in die Afrika-konteks implikasies in vir die konsep van die 'bende' sowel as vir die nut daarvan om rekenskap te gee van bendes in nie-Westerse omgewings. Daar word aangevoer dat 'n pluralistiese weergawe van bendes nodig is om sin te maak van hierdie groepe, met die verstandhouding dat hierdie groepe blykbaar definisie teenstaan en dinamies eerder as staties is. Dit behels dat hul kapasiteit vir transformasie sentraal moet wees in hoe hulle gekonseptualiseer word, wat voorsiening maak vir die kruisings en oorvleueling tussen verskillende nie-staatsgewapende groepe, 'n kenmerk wat belangrik is om te inkorporeer in idees van hoe bendes in Sub-Sahara Afrika funksioneer. Hierdie studie poog dus om 'n grondslag vir verdere navorsing te verskaf deur 'n ondersoek aan te bied van bendes wat nie goed bestudeer is nie, te evalueer waarom hulle onderskei van soortgelyke groepe in die Globale Noorde, en te heroorweeg hoe hulle verstaan en gekonseptualiseer kan word.af_ZA
dc.description.versionMastersen_ZA
dc.format.extentxi, 132 pagesen_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127361
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshGangs -- Africa, Sub-Saharanen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshOrganized crime -- Africa, Sub-Saharanen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshGangs -- Cross-cultural studiesen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshGang preventionen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshJuvenile delinquency -- Africa,Sub-Saharanen_ZA
dc.subject.nameUCTD
dc.titleTowards a pluralistic account of gangs: Perspectives from Sub-Saharan Africaen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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