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Theoretical and Conceptual Underpinnings of Conflict

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Political Violence and Oil in Africa

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Abstract

This chapter focuses on the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of conflict with the aim of situating the Niger Delta conflicts within the wider conflict literature. It sets out the conceptual understandings of the dynamics of nonviolence and violence in conflicts that include social movements, contention, structure and agency and the construction of collective narratives. The chapter is structured to show the importance of understanding the dynamics of choice between violence and nonviolence when attempting to analyse the Niger Delta conflicts. This is because research into this topic requires the survey of such diverse literature that makes it necessary to examine theoretical concepts such as contention, construction of collective narratives and identities, social movements, structure and agency. This chapter sets out a theoretical and analytical framework that uses the theories to elucidate the concepts used in the book.

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    Zainab Ladan Mai-Bornu

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Mai-Bornu, Z.L. (2020). Theoretical and Conceptual Underpinnings of Conflict. In: Political Violence and Oil in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45525-5_2

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