Civil society and the pursuit of peace: the dynamics of conflict transformation in Zanzibar

This thesis uses the Zanzibar case to analyze the role of civil society organiza¬tions in conflict transformation in divided societies. Developing and adapting ideas from traditional conflict resolution approaches, the thesis shows that conflict transformation, as opposed to conflict resolution and conflict manage¬ment, deepens sustainability of peace in divided societies. It outlines a theo¬retical framework for understanding the evolution of the relationship between the state, conflict and civil society. The thesis reviews the post-1990s elections in Zanzibar to explain why the same party system that reflects conventional political differences in Mainland Tanzania is associated with deep political divi¬sions in Zanzibar. On deeper analysis, what appears as merely post-electoral rioting has in fact most of the characteristics of deep-set conflict. The political divisions are superimposed on deeper racial/ethnic divisions embedded in terri¬torially-defined horizontal inequalities (political and economic). These in turn have resonances with very brutal periods in Zanzibar and African history (par¬ticularly the slave trade). The thesis traces the roots of identity construction and change, arguing that, although frequently overlooked by analysts of Zanzi¬bar politics, identity and the politics of belonging are crucial to conflict trans-formation in Zanzibar. Therefore, the dynamics of identity construction and identity change are systematically studied in Zanzibar in exploring the nuances and machinations of the working of the state, in the light of the former region¬al and global strategic importance of Zanzibar, and how its decline informs the conflict. The results are in line with observations of theorists of social capital: the more the state suppresses the civil society organizations, the higher the levels of societal tensions and the higher the potential for conflict. As such, part of the failure of peace agreements in Zanzibar is directly related to failure to articulate society as an integral part of the process.