Divergent Legacies: How the Local Instantiation of National Conflict Conditions Postwar Political Engagement

Under what conditions does violence generate legacies of political [dis]engagement? Victimization is frequently linked to higher rates of political engagement – voting, protesting, attending meetings, etc. Often, however, victims withdraw from politics. These initial responses are evident generations later. I reconcile these disparate trends by analyzing the materialization of national conflict at the local level. When a community experiences violence perpetrated by non-local factions, victimization is more likely to politicize. By contrast, when perpetrated by members of one’s community against other local members, violence is more likely to depoliticize. To test these arguments, I leverage an original survey, archival material, and interviews from the understudied case of Cameroon. From 1956 to 1971, the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC) fought against French and Cameroonian state and paramilitary forces. Civilians were heavily targeted by the state, militias, and UPC guerillas. Today, variation in those local experiences is associated with differences in political behavior and socialization practices.