SIETAR Japan, Kansai Chapter, July 2008
“An Introduction to African Conflicts”

Presenter:    Takehiko Ochiai (RyukokuUniversity)

Date:          July 20 (Sunday),  2:00pm-4:00pm

Place:        Nishinomiya-shiDaigakuKoryuCenter

 (ACTA Nishinomiya East building 6F, Seminar 1)

              2 min. from the North Exit of Hankyu Nishinomiya

 Kitaguchi Station.  Tel.(0798)69-3155

              http://www.nishi.or.jp/~daigaku/

Fee:          500yen for members and students, 1.000yen for non-members

Language:     Japanese

 

Description of the Presentation

Violence, particularly wars and armed conflicts, are one of the most extreme forms of “communication”. The aim of this presentation is to examine various aspects of conflicts in postcolonial Africa such as the reason why Africanists are increasingly hesitating to use the word of “ethnic/tribal conflicts”, the cases and types of modern conflicts in Africa, actors of conflict and conflict resolution (e.g. guerilla forces, private military companies, regional organizations, western powers), issues relating to African conflicts (e.g. small arms control, conflict diamonds, drug abuse in post-conflict society).

 

Profile of the Presenter

Takehiko Ochiai is Professor of International Relations at Ryukoku University. He was born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1965. He started to read African Politics in his undergraduate years and continued his study and research at the graduate schools of Keio University and the University of Birmingham, UK. His research interests include Sierra Leonean civil war, Nigerian politics, and regional security in West Africa. He is married to the psychiatric social worker, Tomoko Kanata, who is working for Kobe College. He likes taking London, their pet dog, out for a walk. The URL of his website is http://www.law.ryukoku.ac.jp/~ochiai/index.htm