Overview

Despite the centrality of mobility to the operations of both state and non-state armed groups as well as the survival strategies of civilians in conflict zones, issues of mobility and access have remained tangential to how we analyze contemporary armed insurgencies. The extant literature focuses rather exclusively on the “roots” of armed insurgencies while glossing over its “routes” and trajectories. Scholars thus miss the complex ways in which state and non-state actors, as well as local populations, interact with and navigate around infrastructures of mobility. Daniel E. Agbiboa foregrounds mobility in this book as a key arena where state and non-state actors jostle for ascendancy, reflecting the contested nature of power. Mobility, Mobilization, and Counter/Insurgency has three interconnected objectives: (1) to analyze the evolution and mutation of Boko Haram in light of how the sect interacts with mobility and mobile infrastructures; (2) to gauge the extent to which the governance of mobility has been a central factor in the war against Boko Haram since 2009; and (3) to assess the impact of Boko Haram’s mobile warfare and the state’s regulation of mobility on people whose livelihoods rest squarely on movement and access. By studying the armed insurgencies through the lens of mobility and access, new questions are generated, established themes are rethought, and fresh empirical sites are explored. Finally, the book’s focus on Africa provides a long overdue corrective to extant literature on mobilities, which too rarely expand beyond cultures and canonical discussions of mobility in Western societies.

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9780472038923

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Reviews

"""Although much has been written about Boko Haram, no previous study has systematically and comprehensively drawn the connection between mobility and insurgency as Daniel Agbiboa has done in this well-researched, empirically grounded, theoretically anchored and highly innovative study.""--Hussein Solomon ""Africa Review"" ""[A] gripping account of how the simple motorcycle can illuminate the history, practice, and organizing logic of insurgency and counterinsurgency.""--Catherine E. Bolton ""Peace & Change: A Journal of Peace Research"" Winner of the 2023 ISA Lee Ann Fujii Book Award-- ""ISA Lee Ann Fujii Book Award"" Winner: International Studies Association (ISA) 2022 PEACE Best Global South Scholar Book Award-- ""ISA PEACE Best Global South Scholar Book Award"" ""The book remains essential for academics, students, and practitioners interested in understanding the nature and cause of the Boko Haram insurgency."" --International Affairs--Folahanmi Aina ""International Affairs"" ""Agbiboa's book convincingly bridges the gap between mobility and conflict studies and reveals how both the insurgents and the state instrumentalize mobility patterns to shape conflict. The study is a valuable addition to the burgeoning literature on the geography of conflicts in West Africa and a well-researched contribution to the spatiality of Boko Haram and its splinter group the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)."" --Space Polity --Olivier Walther, University of Florida ""Space & Polity"" (8/26/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""Mobility, Mobilization and Counter/Insurgency is a theoretically and empirically grounded masterpiece that will be of great relevance to the academic community. It should be a pocket companion to students of security studies, political science and international relations, as well as those interested in insurgency and counterinsurgency."" --African Studies Quarterly--Adeniyi S. Basiru ""African Studies Quarterly"" ""Mobility, Mobilization, and Counter/Insurgency: The Routes of Terror in an African Context is an excellent piece of scholarship and a necessary contribution for those who want to understand not only the trajectory of Boko Haram, but more generally how conflicts emerge and operate in contemporary Africa under the global umbrella of the 'War on Terror'. Agbiboa's encyclopedic knowledge of the subject represents a clear strength of the book, along with the decision to employ an original and useful theoretical framework based on the centrality of 'mobility'...the analytical angle defined by the author remains not only necessary, but also potentially groundbreaking for the way we will look at African insurgencies in the near future."" --The International Spectator--Edoardo Baldaro ""The International Spectator"" ""[Agbiboa] has written an exceptionally lucid book on the roots and routes of terrorism and counterterrorism that makes a seminal contribution to the fields of mobilities research, peace and conflict studies, political science, international relations, geography, and sociology."" --Global Policy--Promise Frank Ejiofor ""Global Policy"" (10/21/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""[Agbiboa] provides an interesting and novel examination of Boko Haram, in a way that other forms of analysis would miss. . . I would recommend this book to those who wish to look at insurgencies and conflict in a novel way."" --Journal of Strategic Security--Michael Hampson ""Journal of Strategic Security"" (9/12/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""[T]he sheer depth of his critical analysis and fieldwork make Daniel Agbiboa's study an invaluable addition to the current discourse on insurgency and counter-insurgency in Nigeria. It is must-reading for anyone interested in a shift in critical perspectives on Boko Haram's insurgency and the Nigerian government's response to it."" --Michigan War Studies Review --Akali Omeni, University of St. Andrews ""Michigan War Studies Review"" (11/17/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""A perfect demonstration of how the ""war on terror"" is currently playing out in Africa's Lake Chad Basin region. It sheds light on the implications of this phenomenon on the livelihoods of mobile subjects in this specific context, a new insight that should not be taken for granted."" --E-International Relations--Bintu Zahara Sakor ""E-International Relations"" (12/19/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""Agbiboa offers a counterpoint to often - proverbially and perhaps intuitively - static analysis of stateness by raising the question whether to some degree mobility makes states."" --Geopolitics--Christoph N. Vogel ""Geopolitics"" ""By examining the concepts of corruption and insurgency through the tropes of mobility and transportation, the author charts a path less travelled by scholars working in these subject areas. . . make[s] a useful contribute to the discussions on corruption and security in Africa."" --Theory, Culture Society--Gabriel O. Apata ""Theory, Culture & Society"" (7/19/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""For social scientists who are used to static and fixed entities, Agbiboa's analysis provides surprising insight into individual experiences with (im)mobilization as well as the daily struggle of life in a conflict zone. His interviews of ""mobile subjects on the move"" and his immersive and theoretically grounded field research help the reader understand the currency of certain coping mechanisms in response to escalating conflict, immobilization, vigilante action, and the difficult economic conditions in northeast Nigeria. In this regard, Mobility, Mobilization, and Counter/Insurgency fills an important lacuna in conflict and counter/insurgency literature."" --International Journal of Communication--Buket Oztas, Furman University ""International Journal of Communication"" ""Mobilities scholars and social scientists more broadly will appreciate Agbiboa's attentiveness to the relationship between mobility and immobility that at the same time allows scholars of the mobilities turn to embrace the study of both movement and fixity to understand global flows and circulations of humans, nonhuman animals, objects, capital, and information."" --AAG Review of Books--Bradley Rink ""AAG Review of Books"" ""The books considered in this review constitute invaluable material for those who are interested in the conversation among researchers from the global south. . . These dialogues are important and urgent to spread and enrich the production of knowledge."" --Subjectivity--Hern�n Camilo Pulido-Martinez ""Subjectivity"" (11/3/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""The power of Agbiboa's book lies in making a point and then offering us a glimpse into the truth of the opposite argument. ...a treasure trove for anyone interested in questions of mobility and conflict."" --Perspectives on Politics--Peer Schouten ""Perspectives On Politics"" (8/31/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""This book constitutes a significant addition to the scholarly literature on (im)mobility and counterinsurgency, as it provides a thought-provoking and insightful perspective on these two themes. It comes highly recommended to scholars seeking to enhance their knowledge and comprehension of the interconnection between (im)mobility and violent conflicts in Africa."" --Contemporary Voices: The St Andrews Journal of International Relations--Ezenwa Olumba ""Contemporary Voices: St Andrews Journal of International Relations"" (4/4/2023 12:00:00 AM)"

"""[Agbiboa] has written an exceptionally lucid book on the roots and routes of terrorism and counterterrorism that makes a seminal contribution to the fields of mobilities research, peace and conflict studies, political science, international relations, geography, and sociology.""--Promise Frank Ejiofor ""Global Policy"" (10/21/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""[Agbiboa] provides an interesting and novel examination of Boko Haram, in a way that other forms of analysis would miss. . . I would recommend this book to those who wish to look at insurgencies and conflict in a novel way.""--Michael Hampson ""Journal of Strategic Security"" (9/12/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""[A] gripping account of how the simple motorcycle can illuminate the history, practice, and organizing logic of insurgency and counterinsurgency.""--Catherine E. Bolton ""Peace & Change: A Journal of Peace Research"" ""A perfect demonstration of how the ""war on terror"" is currently playing out in Africa's Lake Chad Basin region. It sheds light on the implications of this phenomenon on the livelihoods of mobile subjects in this specific context, a new insight that should not be taken for granted.""--Bintu Zahara Sakor ""E-International Relations"" (12/19/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""Agbiboa offers a counterpoint to often - proverbially and perhaps intuitively - static analysis of stateness by raising the question whether to some degree mobility makes states.""--Christoph N. Vogel ""Geopolitics"" ""By examining the concepts of corruption and insurgency through the tropes of mobility and transportation, the author charts a path less travelled by scholars working in these subject areas. . . make[s] a useful contribute to the discussions on corruption and security in Africa.""--Gabriel O. Apata ""Theory, Culture & Society"" (7/19/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""Mobilities scholars and social scientists more broadly will appreciate Agbiboa's attentiveness to the relationship between mobility and immobility that at the same time allows scholars of the mobilities turn to embrace the study of both movement and fixity to understand global flows and circulations of humans, nonhuman animals, objects, capital, and information.""--Bradley Rink ""AAG Review of Books"" ""The books considered in this review constitute invaluable material for those who are interested in the conversation among researchers from the global south. . . These dialogues are important and urgent to spread and enrich the production of knowledge.""--Hernán Camilo Pulido-Martinez ""Subjectivity"" (11/3/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""The power of Agbiboa's book lies in making a point and then offering us a glimpse into the truth of the opposite argument. ...a treasure trove for anyone interested in questions of mobility and conflict.""--Peer Schouten ""Perspectives On Politics"" (8/31/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""This book constitutes a significant addition to the scholarly literature on (im)mobility and counterinsurgency, as it provides a thought-provoking and insightful perspective on these two themes. It comes highly recommended to scholars seeking to enhance their knowledge and comprehension of the interconnection between (im)mobility and violent conflicts in Africa."" --Ezenwa Olumba ""Contemporary Voices: St Andrews Journal of International Relations"" (4/4/2023 12:00:00 AM) Winner of the 2023 ISA Lee Ann Fujii Book Award-- ""ISA Lee Ann Fujii Book Award"" Winner: International Studies Association (ISA) 2022 PEACE Best Global South Scholar Book Award-- ""ISA PEACE Best Global South Scholar Book Award"" ""Agbiboa's book convincingly bridges the gap between mobility and conflict studies and reveals how both the insurgents and the state instrumentalize mobility patterns to shape conflict. The study is a valuable addition to the burgeoning literature on the geography of conflicts in West Africa and a well-researched contribution to the spatiality of Boko Haram and its splinter group the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)."" --Olivier Walther, University of Florida ""Space & Polity"" (8/26/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""Mobility, Mobilization and Counter/Insurgency is a theoretically and empirically grounded masterpiece that will be of great relevance to the academic community. It should be a pocket companion to students of security studies, political science and international relations, as well as those interested in insurgency and counterinsurgency.""--Adeniyi S. Basiru ""African Studies Quarterly"" ""Mobility, Mobilization, and Counter/Insurgency: The Routes of Terror in an African Context is an excellent piece of scholarship and a necessary contribution for those who want to understand not only the trajectory of Boko Haram, but more generally how conflicts emerge and operate in contemporary Africa under the global umbrella of the 'War on Terror'. Agbiboa's encyclopedic knowledge of the subject represents a clear strength of the book, along with the decision to employ an original and useful theoretical framework based on the centrality of 'mobility'...the analytical angle defined by the author remains not only necessary, but also potentially groundbreaking for the way we will look at African insurgencies in the near future.""--Edoardo Baldaro ""The International Spectator"" ""[T]he sheer depth of his critical analysis and fieldwork make Daniel Agbiboa's study an invaluable addition to the current discourse on insurgency and counter-insurgency in Nigeria. It is must-reading for anyone interested in a shift in critical perspectives on Boko Haram's insurgency and the Nigerian government's response to it."" --Akali Omeni, University of St. Andrews ""Michigan War Studies Review"" (11/17/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""For social scientists who are used to static and fixed entities, Agbiboa's analysis provides surprising insight into individual experiences with (im)mobilization as well as the daily struggle of life in a conflict zone. His interviews of ""mobile subjects on the move"" and his immersive and theoretically grounded field research help the reader understand the currency of certain coping mechanisms in response to escalating conflict, immobilization, vigilante action, and the difficult economic conditions in northeast Nigeria. In this regard, Mobility, Mobilization, and Counter/Insurgency fills an important lacuna in conflict and counter/insurgency literature.""--Buket Oztas, Furman University ""International Journal of Communication"""

"""Although much has been written about Boko Haram, no previous study has systematically and comprehensively drawn the connection between mobility and insurgency as Daniel Agbiboa has done in this well-researched, empirically grounded, theoretically anchored and highly innovative study.""--Hussein Solomon ""Africa Review"" ""[A] gripping account of how the simple motorcycle can illuminate the history, practice, and organizing logic of insurgency and counterinsurgency.""--Catherine E. Bolton ""Peace & Change: A Journal of Peace Research"" Winner of the 2023 ISA Lee Ann Fujii Book Award-- ""ISA Lee Ann Fujii Book Award"" Winner: International Studies Association (ISA) 2022 PEACE Best Global South Scholar Book Award-- ""ISA PEACE Best Global South Scholar Book Award"" ""Agbiboa's book is an illuminating invitation to intensify a sociological debate over social, symbolic, and physical space, mobilities, and societal conflicts. It is, therefore, highly recommended for students and researchers studying conflict in general and Boko Haram in particular as well as academics working on social inequality."" --American Journal of Sociology""--Daniel Bultmann ""American Journal of Sociology"" ""The meticulous research and historical approach in Mobility, Mobilization, and Counter/Insurgency provides a necessary empirical contribution to peace and security studies.""-- ""Journal for Peace and Justice Studies"" ""The book remains essential for academics, students, and practitioners interested in understanding the nature and cause of the Boko Haram insurgency."" --International Affairs--Folahanmi Aina ""International Affairs"" ""Agbiboa's book convincingly bridges the gap between mobility and conflict studies and reveals how both the insurgents and the state instrumentalize mobility patterns to shape conflict. The study is a valuable addition to the burgeoning literature on the geography of conflicts in West Africa and a well-researched contribution to the spatiality of Boko Haram and its splinter group the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)."" --Space Polity --Olivier Walther, University of Florida ""Space & Polity"" (8/26/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""Mobility, Mobilization and Counter/Insurgency is a theoretically and empirically grounded masterpiece that will be of great relevance to the academic community. It should be a pocket companion to students of security studies, political science and international relations, as well as those interested in insurgency and counterinsurgency."" --African Studies Quarterly--Adeniyi S. Basiru ""African Studies Quarterly"" ""Mobility, Mobilization, and Counter/Insurgency: The Routes of Terror in an African Context is an excellent piece of scholarship and a necessary contribution for those who want to understand not only the trajectory of Boko Haram, but more generally how conflicts emerge and operate in contemporary Africa under the global umbrella of the 'War on Terror'. Agbiboa's encyclopedic knowledge of the subject represents a clear strength of the book, along with the decision to employ an original and useful theoretical framework based on the centrality of 'mobility'...the analytical angle defined by the author remains not only necessary, but also potentially groundbreaking for the way we will look at African insurgencies in the near future."" --The International Spectator--Edoardo Baldaro ""The International Spectator"" ""[Agbiboa] has written an exceptionally lucid book on the roots and routes of terrorism and counterterrorism that makes a seminal contribution to the fields of mobilities research, peace and conflict studies, political science, international relations, geography, and sociology."" --Global Policy--Promise Frank Ejiofor ""Global Policy"" (10/21/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""[Agbiboa] provides an interesting and novel examination of Boko Haram, in a way that other forms of analysis would miss. . . I would recommend this book to those who wish to look at insurgencies and conflict in a novel way."" --Journal of Strategic Security--Michael Hampson ""Journal of Strategic Security"" (9/12/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""[T]he sheer depth of his critical analysis and fieldwork make Daniel Agbiboa's study an invaluable addition to the current discourse on insurgency and counter-insurgency in Nigeria. It is must-reading for anyone interested in a shift in critical perspectives on Boko Haram's insurgency and the Nigerian government's response to it."" --Michigan War Studies Review --Akali Omeni, University of St. Andrews ""Michigan War Studies Review"" (11/17/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""A perfect demonstration of how the ""war on terror"" is currently playing out in Africa's Lake Chad Basin region. It sheds light on the implications of this phenomenon on the livelihoods of mobile subjects in this specific context, a new insight that should not be taken for granted."" --E-International Relations--Bintu Zahara Sakor ""E-International Relations"" (12/19/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""Agbiboa offers a counterpoint to often - proverbially and perhaps intuitively - static analysis of stateness by raising the question whether to some degree mobility makes states."" --Geopolitics--Christoph N. Vogel ""Geopolitics"" ""By examining the concepts of corruption and insurgency through the tropes of mobility and transportation, the author charts a path less travelled by scholars working in these subject areas. . . make[s] a useful contribute to the discussions on corruption and security in Africa."" --Theory, Culture Society--Gabriel O. Apata ""Theory, Culture & Society"" (7/19/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""For social scientists who are used to static and fixed entities, Agbiboa's analysis provides surprising insight into individual experiences with (im)mobilization as well as the daily struggle of life in a conflict zone. His interviews of ""mobile subjects on the move"" and his immersive and theoretically grounded field research help the reader understand the currency of certain coping mechanisms in response to escalating conflict, immobilization, vigilante action, and the difficult economic conditions in northeast Nigeria. In this regard, Mobility, Mobilization, and Counter/Insurgency fills an important lacuna in conflict and counter/insurgency literature."" --International Journal of Communication--Buket Oztas, Furman University ""International Journal of Communication"" ""Mobilities scholars and social scientists more broadly will appreciate Agbiboa's attentiveness to the relationship between mobility and immobility that at the same time allows scholars of the mobilities turn to embrace the study of both movement and fixity to understand global flows and circulations of humans, nonhuman animals, objects, capital, and information."" --AAG Review of Books--Bradley Rink ""AAG Review of Books"" ""The books considered in this review constitute invaluable material for those who are interested in the conversation among researchers from the global south. . . These dialogues are important and urgent to spread and enrich the production of knowledge."" --Subjectivity--Hern�n Camilo Pulido-Martinez ""Subjectivity"" (11/3/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""The power of Agbiboa's book lies in making a point and then offering us a glimpse into the truth of the opposite argument. ...a treasure trove for anyone interested in questions of mobility and conflict."" --Perspectives on Politics--Peer Schouten ""Perspectives On Politics"" (8/31/2022 12:00:00 AM) ""This book constitutes a significant addition to the scholarly literature on (im)mobility and counterinsurgency, as it provides a thought-provoking and insightful perspective on these two themes. It comes highly recommended to scholars seeking to enhance their knowledge and comprehension of the interconnection between (im)mobility and violent conflicts in Africa."" --Contemporary Voices: The St Andrews Journal of International Relations--Ezenwa Olumba ""Contemporary Voices: St Andrews Journal of International Relations"" (4/4/2023 12:00:00 AM)"

Author Information

Daniel E. Agbiboa is Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University.

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