Koen Vlassenroot
Koen Vlassenroot is a Professor of Political Science at Ghent University, where he is the director of the Conflict Research Group that invests in the understanding of low-intensity, protracted violent conflicts over natural resources, identity and public authority. He investigates armed groups and civil war, and have carried out extensive fieldwork in eastern DR Congo, Uganda, Rwanda and the Philippines. His major contribution in the field of peace and conflict research is the understanding of the social embeddedness of rurally based armed groups; the mobility of combatants; public authority and non-state forms of governance in conflict zones; and the social transformations induced by long-term violence. His current research activities concentrate on the proliferation and the demobilization of armed groups and on the position of armed groups in electoral processes. He has published numerous peer reviewed articles and book chapters, has been a co-Principal Investigator of several 5-year international research consortia, and has carried out research activities and consultancy work for international donor agencies and non-governmental organisations.
