Reitsma, Daniëlle
Absence and Presence of Religious Identity in Rebellions.
Master thesis, Master Religion Conflict and Globalisation.
Abstract
Since the Malian independency of 1960, four Tuareg Rebellions erupted against the Malian
Government. In order to find out the relation between conflict, religion and identity and find out
how much the rebellions relate to the Tuareg community, the following research question is posed:
How did the Tuareg rebels legitimize the Tuareg Rebellions against the background of the changing
religious identity of the Tuareg people? Using an interpretative document analysis based on
ethnographies and audiovisual data, this thesis examines and applies the integrated approach of
identity theory to the Tuareg case. This approach combines primordialism, instrumentalism and
constructivism.
The thesis is divided in two analytical parts. Chapter 4 focuses on the nature of identity and
examines the development of the Tuareg (religious) identity. From this chapter is concluded that
Muslim identity has become increasingly important for the Tuareg people, as caused by the
processes of sedentarization and Islamization. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 focus on the path from identity
to conflict and provides analyses the rebels’ definitions of the four Tuareg Rebellions. It becomes
clear that static motivations for the rebels were autonomy and mistreatment. Islam was an
important reason for the First Tuareg Rebellion and played a role in the Second Tuareg Rebellion.
However, most Tuareg rebels distanced themselves from Islam in the Third and Fourth Tuareg
Rebellions, due to the impact of religious terrorism, while other Tuareg rebels made Islam more
explicit in their goals. Nevertheless, this thesis argues that although Islam has become increasingly
important to Tuareg, it did not affect the support for or opposition of the rebellions, as other identity
components and the circumstances of religious terrorism were more important.
Keywords: Mali; Tuareg Rebellion; Islam; identity theory; primordialism; instrumentalism;
constructivism; integrated approach
Daniëlle
| Type: |
Thesis
(Master)
|
| Supervisors (RUG): |
|
| Degree programme: |
Master Religion Conflict and Globalisation |
| Academic year: |
2020-2021 |
| Date of delivery: |
01 Dec 2022 12:49 |
| Last modified: |
01 Dec 2022 12:49 |
| URI: |
https://rcs.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/713 |
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