A social network analysis of family and community conflicts in post-civil war Mozambique

Abstract

The existing literature on post-civil war processes has inadequately addressed the diversity of challenges of social reconstruction and community development arising from the fragmentation of cultural practices informing the creation and maintenance of family and social networks, and a variety of locally specific risks impacting the lives of survivors and subsequent generations. This paper addresses this gap by empirically investigating how unresolved legacies of Mozambique’s civil war (1976–1992) have fueled a network of local problems in the Gorongosa district. We used network analysis of cases presented in community courts over a decade (2002–2012) to reveal the existence of entrenched disputes involving spouses, divorce cases, domestic violence incidents, financial debts, accusations of wartime violations, and a range of adverse wellbeing outcomes. The conflicts and relationship dynamics vary in intensity over time but remain closely linked to civil war-induced risks, such as disrupted practices of premature marriages and interpersonal mistrust. Taking together these results reinforce the need to address disrupted patterns of family relations, lingering accusations of wartime violations, and to enhance the capacity of local community institutions and courts as part of social reconstruction efforts and development goals.