The force of action: legitimizing the coup in Bamako, Mali/Die kraft zum handeln: die legitimierung des staatsstreichs in Bamako, Mali

The coup d'etat that occurred in Bamako in March 2012 brought a previously unknown army captain named Amadou Sanogo to power. This paper analyses Malian media reports to explore how Sanogo and his associates sought to legitimize their takeover with reference to local conceptions of heroism, pow...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAfrikaspectrum Vol. 47; no. 2-3; pp. 93 - 110
Main Author Whitehouse, Bruce
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Sage Publications Ltd. (UK) 01.08.2012
SAGE Publishing
Subjects
300, 301, 306, 320, 324
anthropology, political science
Armies
coup d’état/military insurrection, political culture
Ethnologie, Politische Wissenschaft
Gegenwart
Mali
Officials and employees
present
Staatsstreich/Militärputsch, Politische Kultur
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Summary:The coup d'etat that occurred in Bamako in March 2012 brought a previously unknown army captain named Amadou Sanogo to power. This paper analyses Malian media reports to explore how Sanogo and his associates sought to legitimize their takeover with reference to local conceptions of heroism, power and destiny, and how Sanogo's public image resonated with time-honoured narratives about heroic figures in Malian culture. This case demonstrates that understanding religious worldviews is essential for understanding the workings of political power.
ISSN:0002-0397
1868-6869