Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

This presentation explores the mobilising effect of anger in response to state violence among members of the Anglophone minority in Cameroon and its diaspora, highlighting intra-movement tensions and dialogue about entitlement to emotional reactions.

Paper long abstract

Since the beginning of the separatist conflict known as the Anglophone Crisis in 2016, many Anglophone Cameroonians have become witnesses to acts of state violence, either in person or through videos on social media. While recent studies of online mobilisation and radicalisation have focused on the effects of disinformation, filter bubbles, and algorithms introducing users to radical positions, I argue, with reference to Manuel Castells (2015) and Donatella della Porta (2018), that emotional reactions to witnessing acts of violence play a central role in the mobilisation of support for the Anglophone separatist movement, both locally and abroad. Through hybrid ethnographic research, I trace the mobilisation trajectories of Anglophone diaspora members, demonstrating that their mobilisation processes are equally relational in nature and driven by pivotal moments of anger as those of people in the conflict regions. Yet, animosities exist within the Anglophone separatist movement regarding who gets to act upon their anger in ways that may impact and potentially escalate the conflict. Presenting exchanges between actors from both spheres, I highlight the potential for intra-movement dialogue based on shared affectedness. Lastly, I argue that such dialogue should inform scholarly inquiries into diaspora involvement in homeland conflict in order to counter characterisations of diasporic anger and radicalism as “unaccountable” (Anderson 1992) and “irresponsible” (Conversi 2012). Instead, I emphasise that, while diaspora members experience a specifically positioned and mediated version of a given conflict, this experience remains one of affectedness.

This presentation is based on a chapter of my recently submitted PhD thesis.