Violence in the Contemporary Political History of Eastern Africa

The articles gathered in this issue of the International Journal of African Historical Studies focus on the role of violence in the consolidation of state power in eastern Africa, from the late 1950s into the early 1980s. These were critical years in the modern history of the region, witnessing the transition from colonial rule to the Cold War, a period of decolonization during which the external relations of all countries in eastern Africa underwent dramatic change, and a phase in which new African governments strove to establish their political base, their bureaucratic and executive authority, and their legitimacy. The contributions here highlight and exemplify how collective violence permeated these political developments, in some cases coming to define the character of national or local political authority. The five articles exemplify the diversity of violence in the modern history of four countries—Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and Burundi. Political authority, legitimacy, and violent contestation are the three themes that bind these five case studies together.