PhD Defense Niels Terpstra: Rebel Governance and Legitimacy in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka

On 23 April, Niels Terpstra (History and Art History) defends his dissertation titled "Rebel Governance and Legitimacy in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka".

Rebel governance and legitimacy

Existing journalistic accounts characterize civil wars as instances of chaos, lawlessness, and the breakdown of social and political order. Common classifications are ‘failed states’ and ‘ungoverned spaces’. Although civil wars certainly tear societies apart, the parallel processes through which social and political order continue, have received less attention. This is particularly so for the order created and maintained by rebel groups. These rebel groups are not internationally recognized states, but they do mimic many state functions that in contemporary history have become directly associated with the sovereign state.

Violence and legitimacy practices

This disseration investigates how these governance and legitimation practices affect civilian compliance with a rebel group. Hence, the main question is: How does rebel governance affect civilian compliance with a rebel group? The findings are based on historical- and social qualitative research, which included eight months of field research in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Terpstra concludes that through a combination of violence and legitimacy practices, rebel governance contributes to civilian collaboration with rebel groups.