Daniel Hoffman, author of "The War Machines," is a UW associate of anthropology.
The civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia ended 10 years ago but these West African nations continue to struggle, partly because the wars created an economy based on warfare. Young men and boys recruited into militia movements during wartime turned to other violent jobs - in diamond mines, on rubber plantations and in other unregulated industries - after the wars ended. Violence becomes a way to earn a living for these young men and they can't give it up, according to a new book by Daniel Hoffman , a UW associate professor of anthropology. He has studied young men and violence in Sierra Leone and Liberia for about a decade.
- "These are not economies that have recovered from war, the people living there have a precarious existence,” he said. Hoffman says the persistent violence and slow economic recovery in Sierra Leone and Liberia hint at the future for other war-torn regions of the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan. He describes this more in a video that features photos from the book.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
