The social integration of demobilised ex-combatants in Mozambique

Abstract

This study is an analysisis of the social integration of demobilised soldiers in Mozambique, in the context of post-war social reconstrution. De-construting the concept of ”reintegration” that informed the top-down programmes designeted for the social integration of ex-combatentes, that dichotomize society into the military sphere and the civilian one, so that the process into wich ex-combatentes are involved after leaving the Army is one of, “returning home”, as society remaining the same or in a moving equilibrium, one saw society market by social diferantiations, even amongst the demobilised ex-combatants. The ideal of “sameness” between “civilians” and ex-combatantes involved in the concept of reintegration seems more an utopia. This research used prvieous studies of my colleagues. In critizing them, i do not wish to create the impression that these works are of little value. Their analysisis stand from very different disciplinary aproaches, and with others aims. The major weakness i often saw was the indefinition of the terms they used and mix of concepts like social integration and reintegration as having the same meaning. Other documentary research was carried out, and as the study included the understanting of meanings, values, individual actions and social interactions, in order to capture the meaningfulness of such life other qualitative methods were employed as the informal interviews, the use of key informants, participation in and abservation of events in the setting. Looking society in a dynamic change, social integration is regarded as the process of negotiation of a common social order between actors in interaction (demobilised soldiers, other social grouings, and instrutions like the state). It is better approached using the concept of integration. As an interactive process it is marked by a tension batween the affirmation of the individuality of actors and the will to the sense of community. In its coure different actors mobilise and use different identities according to the situations, avoiding or erasing specificities of previous socializations and identities and highlighting others.