Guerrillas and violence in the war in Mozambique: De-socialization or re-socialization?

Academics uneasy with widespread popular images of post-independence civil wars in Africa as barbaric and primeval have been prompted to search for wa ys of explaining the conduct of these wars which would make them appear mor e rational. However, carrying out the type of in-depth research necessary t o understand the rationality of each case is not easy, given the security a nd political constraints posed by conflict situations. Mozambique 's civil war was no exception. Fieldwork during the war itself was confined to gover nment-held areas, and any Rename guerrillas interviewed were those who had been captured or amnestied by the Frelimo government. This article gives ev idence collected in the post-war period from former guerrillas, which chall enges much of what was said about the motivations and attitudes of young me n participating in Rename 's guerrilla army. Former combatants ' own portra yals are revealed to be very different from previous academic accounts whic h highlighted brutalization, social promotion, absence of political ideolog y and the ritualization of violence. The article contributes to historical revision of the war in Mozambique, but the evidence is also of potential si gnificance for understanding processes of post-war integration of former co mbatants into civilian life.