Micro-Macro Nexus of Conflict in Africa: Simulation Analysis Based on Field Research

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15KT0137
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 特設分野
• Research Field: Conflict Studies
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo (2016-2017); Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (2015)
• Principal Investigator: Sakamoto Takuto 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 准教授 (40456182)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 武内 進一 東京外国語大学, 現代アフリカ地域研究センター, 教授 (60450459) ; 佐川 徹 慶應義塾大学, 文学部(三田), 助教 (70613579)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): SAGAWA Toru 慶應義塾大学, 文学部, 助教 (70613579)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-07-10 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 紛争 / アフリカ / マルチエージェント・シミュレーション / 土地 / 平和構築 / 牧畜民

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project focused on a crucial process of armed conflict in contemporary Africa: how local conflicts such as land disputes, which are widely observed--almost endemic--in the region, often turn into state-level massive violence such as civil wars. In a rare multidisciplinary collaboration among an international relations scholar, an anthropologist, and an area specialist, we extensively analyzed this ‘micro-macro nexus’ of African conflict with combined application of agent-based simulation and field research. The three-year collaboration produced a large volume of academic work including refereed research articles, which shed light on the multi-layered nature of contemporary African conflicts from a variety of perspectives.

Free Research Field

国際関係論