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Papers by Ashley Leinweber

African Studies Quarterly, Apr 25, 2024

What is the role of scholars in envisioning the continent and bearing witness to historic events?... more What is the role of scholars in envisioning the continent and bearing witness to historic events? This paper is based on an interview with Professor Rene Lemarchand, renowned scholar of the former Belgian colonies of the African Great Lakes. His earliest book Political Awakening in the Belgian Congo is based on fieldwork conducted in 1960 as the country was undergoing decolonization and describes the political crises of early independence. In the 1970s, he explored the concept of clientelism and role of ethnicity in Central Africa. As events unfolded in Burundi and Rwanda, Lemarchand became an expert on genocide. His career an Africanist has been devoted to understanding political violence in Central Africa while envisioning a better future for its people. The piece will explore reflections not only on his long career, but also its contribution to our understanding of the history of ethnic violence and genocide in the Great Lakes and beyond.

Islamic Africa

The history of the Congolese Muslim minority was one of marginalization. Islam arrived in the Man... more The history of the Congolese Muslim minority was one of marginalization. Islam arrived in the Maniema province of eastern Congo in the pre-colonial period with Swahili-Arab traders in search of ivory and slaves. Congolese Muslims experienced intense repression during Belgian colonial rule, resulting in detachment from politics and the state. In addition, deep internal divisions at local, provincial, and national levels riddled the community for decades. Surprisingly, in the post-war period the Muslim minority became increasingly active, as evidenced by a proliferation of Islamic associations. This article analyzes the Muslim minority in Maniema by focusing on their survival during historic marginalization from the state, their cohesion to overcome internal divisions, and their search for a voice to engage in social and political life. It argues that while the Congolese Muslim minority was successful at survival, the quest to form a cohesive community able to speak with one voice has...

Cahiers d'études africaines, 2012

The Muslim minority community of the Democratic Republic of Congo represents approximately ten pe... more The Muslim minority community of the Democratic Republic of Congo represents approximately ten percent of the total Congolese population. The history of the community, from its origins in the pre-colonial era to Belgian domination, can be characterized as one of repression and marginalization. Further compounding the struggles of Congo's Muslim minority have been intense internal conflicts within the community in the post-independence period. This article examines the strife within the Muslim community at three levels: local, provincial, and national. In the Maniema province, the historic birthplace of Islam in the Congo and still home to the majority of Congolese Muslims today, evidence comes from the provincial capital of Kindu, where Muslims approximate twenty-five percent of the population, and Kasongo, where Muslims constitute a clear majority of between eighty and ninety percent. For a broader understanding of contemporary Congolese Muslims, we look to comparative data from Kisangani, the capital of the Oriental province, where Muslims are a minority of about fifteen percent of the population, as well as the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.

Review of African Political Economy, 2013

Undisputedly, more than a decade of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo has had an immensely ... more Undisputedly, more than a decade of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo has had an immensely negative impact on the social fabric of communities. However, tales of woe and destruction are not all that have arisen out of the ashes of the Congo wars. In fact, the minority Muslim community has capitalised upon the opportunity of this historical moment of state weakness and desperate human need to mobilise for the benefit of the larger society. Despite decades of marginalisation and withdrawal from political and development realms, in post-conflict DRC, Muslim associations are organising to provide social services, especially education. [De la dévastation à la mobilisation : le rôle de la communauté musulmane dans la fourniture deles services sociaux dans la période après-conflit en RDC] Incontestablement, plus d'une décennie de guerre dans la République Démocratique du Congo a eu un impact très négatif sur la structure sociale des communautés. Pourtant, les histoires de malheur et de destruction ne sont pas les seules choses qui sont nées des cendres des guerres du Congo. En fait, la communauté minoritaire musulmane a misé sur l'opportunité de ce moment historique de faiblesse de l'État et de besoins humanitaires urgents pour se mobiliser en faveur de la société dans son ensemble. Malgré les décennies de marginalisation et le retrait des domaines politiques et du développement, dans la RDC d'après conflit, les associations musulmanes s'organisent pour fournir des services sociaux, en particulier dans le domaine de l'éducation. Mots-clés : Congo ; Islam ; sciences politiques ; éducation ; états défaillants ; institutions hybrides

Books by Ashley Leinweber

Writing Boards and Blackboards: , 2016

The Narrative of Africa Rising Changing Perspectives, Jul 2024

EDITED BY DARLINGTINA K. ESIAKA AND JAMAINE ABIDOGUN - CONTRIBUTIONS BY RYAN GIBB; RICHARD S. GLO... more EDITED BY DARLINGTINA K. ESIAKA AND JAMAINE ABIDOGUN - CONTRIBUTIONS BY RYAN GIBB; RICHARD S. GLOTZER; STEPHEN HARMON; ERIN KENNY; ASHLEY E. LEINWEBER; KAFAYAT MAHMOUD AND BRENDA MCCOLLUM
Throughout time, African civilizations have maneuvered and negotiated successfully to maintain their societies and ensure cultural continuity despite encountering expanding trade, foreign invasion, and imposition of colonial and neocolonial states. The Narrative of Africa Rising: Changing Perspectives evaluates the discourse on “Africa Rising” through representative case studies to create a complex and layered account of Africa’s struggles to rise above challenges and conflict in the twenty-first century. Using empirical data and field observations, editors Darlingtina K. Esiaka and Jamaine Abidogun measure Africa’s complex and uneven development over time to provide insight into how Africans across the continent utilize indigenous socio-political economic processes in the face of neocolonial “nation state” systems that routinely fail them. Africa’s twenty-first century rise is erratic as it struggles to undo the damage of colonialism and to fight neocolonial exploitation, but what stands the test of time are African civilizations’ sophisticated societal institutions that continue to vie for the wellbeing of their citizens.

African Studies Quarterly, Apr 25, 2024

What is the role of scholars in envisioning the continent and bearing witness to historic events?... more What is the role of scholars in envisioning the continent and bearing witness to historic events? This paper is based on an interview with Professor Rene Lemarchand, renowned scholar of the former Belgian colonies of the African Great Lakes. His earliest book Political Awakening in the Belgian Congo is based on fieldwork conducted in 1960 as the country was undergoing decolonization and describes the political crises of early independence. In the 1970s, he explored the concept of clientelism and role of ethnicity in Central Africa. As events unfolded in Burundi and Rwanda, Lemarchand became an expert on genocide. His career an Africanist has been devoted to understanding political violence in Central Africa while envisioning a better future for its people. The piece will explore reflections not only on his long career, but also its contribution to our understanding of the history of ethnic violence and genocide in the Great Lakes and beyond.

Islamic Africa

The history of the Congolese Muslim minority was one of marginalization. Islam arrived in the Man... more The history of the Congolese Muslim minority was one of marginalization. Islam arrived in the Maniema province of eastern Congo in the pre-colonial period with Swahili-Arab traders in search of ivory and slaves. Congolese Muslims experienced intense repression during Belgian colonial rule, resulting in detachment from politics and the state. In addition, deep internal divisions at local, provincial, and national levels riddled the community for decades. Surprisingly, in the post-war period the Muslim minority became increasingly active, as evidenced by a proliferation of Islamic associations. This article analyzes the Muslim minority in Maniema by focusing on their survival during historic marginalization from the state, their cohesion to overcome internal divisions, and their search for a voice to engage in social and political life. It argues that while the Congolese Muslim minority was successful at survival, the quest to form a cohesive community able to speak with one voice has...

Cahiers d'études africaines, 2012

The Muslim minority community of the Democratic Republic of Congo represents approximately ten pe... more The Muslim minority community of the Democratic Republic of Congo represents approximately ten percent of the total Congolese population. The history of the community, from its origins in the pre-colonial era to Belgian domination, can be characterized as one of repression and marginalization. Further compounding the struggles of Congo's Muslim minority have been intense internal conflicts within the community in the post-independence period. This article examines the strife within the Muslim community at three levels: local, provincial, and national. In the Maniema province, the historic birthplace of Islam in the Congo and still home to the majority of Congolese Muslims today, evidence comes from the provincial capital of Kindu, where Muslims approximate twenty-five percent of the population, and Kasongo, where Muslims constitute a clear majority of between eighty and ninety percent. For a broader understanding of contemporary Congolese Muslims, we look to comparative data from Kisangani, the capital of the Oriental province, where Muslims are a minority of about fifteen percent of the population, as well as the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.

Review of African Political Economy, 2013

Undisputedly, more than a decade of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo has had an immensely ... more Undisputedly, more than a decade of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo has had an immensely negative impact on the social fabric of communities. However, tales of woe and destruction are not all that have arisen out of the ashes of the Congo wars. In fact, the minority Muslim community has capitalised upon the opportunity of this historical moment of state weakness and desperate human need to mobilise for the benefit of the larger society. Despite decades of marginalisation and withdrawal from political and development realms, in post-conflict DRC, Muslim associations are organising to provide social services, especially education. [De la dévastation à la mobilisation : le rôle de la communauté musulmane dans la fourniture deles services sociaux dans la période après-conflit en RDC] Incontestablement, plus d'une décennie de guerre dans la République Démocratique du Congo a eu un impact très négatif sur la structure sociale des communautés. Pourtant, les histoires de malheur et de destruction ne sont pas les seules choses qui sont nées des cendres des guerres du Congo. En fait, la communauté minoritaire musulmane a misé sur l'opportunité de ce moment historique de faiblesse de l'État et de besoins humanitaires urgents pour se mobiliser en faveur de la société dans son ensemble. Malgré les décennies de marginalisation et le retrait des domaines politiques et du développement, dans la RDC d'après conflit, les associations musulmanes s'organisent pour fournir des services sociaux, en particulier dans le domaine de l'éducation. Mots-clés : Congo ; Islam ; sciences politiques ; éducation ; états défaillants ; institutions hybrides

Writing Boards and Blackboards: , 2016

The Narrative of Africa Rising Changing Perspectives, Jul 2024

EDITED BY DARLINGTINA K. ESIAKA AND JAMAINE ABIDOGUN - CONTRIBUTIONS BY RYAN GIBB; RICHARD S. GLO... more EDITED BY DARLINGTINA K. ESIAKA AND JAMAINE ABIDOGUN - CONTRIBUTIONS BY RYAN GIBB; RICHARD S. GLOTZER; STEPHEN HARMON; ERIN KENNY; ASHLEY E. LEINWEBER; KAFAYAT MAHMOUD AND BRENDA MCCOLLUM
Throughout time, African civilizations have maneuvered and negotiated successfully to maintain their societies and ensure cultural continuity despite encountering expanding trade, foreign invasion, and imposition of colonial and neocolonial states. The Narrative of Africa Rising: Changing Perspectives evaluates the discourse on “Africa Rising” through representative case studies to create a complex and layered account of Africa’s struggles to rise above challenges and conflict in the twenty-first century. Using empirical data and field observations, editors Darlingtina K. Esiaka and Jamaine Abidogun measure Africa’s complex and uneven development over time to provide insight into how Africans across the continent utilize indigenous socio-political economic processes in the face of neocolonial “nation state” systems that routinely fail them. Africa’s twenty-first century rise is erratic as it struggles to undo the damage of colonialism and to fight neocolonial exploitation, but what stands the test of time are African civilizations’ sophisticated societal institutions that continue to vie for the wellbeing of their citizens.