Sex after Fascism

Legacies of civil wars: A 14‐year study of social conflicts and well‐being outcomes in farming economies

“…This type of postwar moral predicament partially resonates with the results of the historical analysis undertaken by Dagmar Herzog (2005) of the earlier normalization process in Germany following World War II. Herzog demonstrates how some sectors of the German society believed that the enforcement of family and sexual conservative practices (under the banner of re‐Christianization) was the solution to the post‐World War II moral crisis.…”

“…Herzog demonstrates how some sectors of the German society believed that the enforcement of family and sexual conservative practices (under the banner of re‐Christianization) was the solution to the post‐World War II moral crisis. The younger generations exposed to moral and sexual conservatism faced serious conundrums, which in some cases were detrimental to their well‐being (Herzog, 2005). In the case of Gorongosa, the implications of the postwar relationships were that premature engagement and mistrust became a burden that affected both sides (fiancé and fiancée) in the relationship.…”

“…Yet, the surviving members of the community or cultural group can still rebuild social life based on templates or remnants of disrupted social structures (De Vries, 1996, p. 408). This normalization strategy is challenging, as the existing templates or remnants of social structures might be inadequate to face the evolving realities, because after protracted wars societies hardly remain the same (André & Jean-Philippe, 1998;Herzog, 2005). Thus, using the context of the civil war (1976)(1977)(1978)(1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992) in Mozambique, we suggest that in communities undergoing transitions from civil wars to peace and democratization, the use of remnants of disrupted social structures can (1) fuel conflicts in families and communities, (2) transform social structures into sources of risk, which can take the form of culturally embedded and general risk factors, (3) unleash social dynamics that reproduce intractable conflicts (Blood, 1960, p. 209) with well-being implications, but without necessarily igniting revenge cycles.…”

“…The question of how civilian populations in the aftermath of wars and other forms of mass political violence engage in normalization strategies and actions (Herzog, 2005, p. 107) and rebuild their lives over time has animated scholarly work for the past three decades, mainly through disciplinary pigeonholes. In particular is psychological trauma and its discontents, and transitional justice and its emerging skeptics.…”

“…Several studies analyzed these intersections, but there was a marked focus on the spectacular phenomenon of spirits and spirit possession which is typical in many contexts of post‐conflict transitions and transitional justice around the world (Baines, 2010; Becker, 1998; Kwon, 2008; Mueggler, 2001; Van der Merwe et al, 2009). Yet, such analytic emphasis on supernatural beliefs as mechanisms of redress and coping has been pursued to the neglect of an analysis of how the legacies of civil wars become implicated in social structures and generational tensions related to intimacy, marriage, and divorce (see Cole & Thomas, 2009; Herzog, 2005; Igreja, 2015a).…”