CRG Book Launch 25
La cause des femmes après la guerre: Organisations internationales, mobilisations et changement social au Burundi/ The Women’s Cause after the War: International Organizations, Mobilizations, and Social Change in Burundi
Mathilde Tarif (Sciences Po-CERI) in conversation with Marie Saiget (University of Lille – CERAPS)
Date: November 18, 2026 ( Wednesday)
Time: 11:00- 12:30
Venue: 3rd Floor, Room John Vincke, Technicum 1, UFO Campus, Ghent University, Belgium
Sandwiches and drinks will be served at the Refter afterwards.
Note: The book launch will be conducted in English.
ABOUT THE BOOK
In “post-conflict” contexts, international organizations are often presented as key actors in social change and the improvement of women’s condition. But what do these interventions actually produce on the ground?
Based on an in-depth study conducted in Burundi, this book offers a sociological analysis of their concrete effects. It shows that, even when the stated objectives are not achieved, these actions give rise to mobilizations, spark debates, and politicize the issues advanced by women’s collective actions. These dynamics open up a space of conflict in which political domination can be legitimized, negotiated, or challenged — while also confronting international organizations with their contradictions.
By shedding light on this ambivalence, the book offers a nuanced reading of the aftermath of war and questions the idea that “post-conflict” situations would constitute an obvious opportunity for the advancement of women’s cause.
ABOUT MARIE:
Marie Saiget is associate professor (maîtresse de conférences) in Political Science at the University of Lille and a member of the French University Institute (Institut universitaire de France). Her work explores the interventions of international organizations in post-war contexts, in Burundi and Côte d’Ivoire in particular. She published La cause des femmes après la guerre. Organisations internationales, mobilisations et changement social au Burundi (Karthala, 2026). She is currently leading a research project on the withdrawal of United Nations agencies from post-conflict contexts in Africa (ANR-23-CE53-0001).
ABOUT MATHILDE:
Mathilde Tarif is a research fellow at the CNRS and affiliated with CERI (Sciences Po). She is a specialist in the sociology of the state, armed conflicts, and international interventions in Central Africa. She did a postdoctoral fellowship at the Conflict Research Group (CRG) at Ghent University and is also a member of the collective project ‘POLEXA’ (CERAPS, University of Lille), which examines the exit strategies of UN agencies in West and Central Africa. She is currently developing a comparative project focusing on the reconstruction of the Rwandan state following the genocide, through the study of the tax administration and the interactions between national institutions and international donors. Her most recent publications have appeared in the Revue française de science politique, Cultures & Conflits, Critique internationale and Cahiers d’études africaines.
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