In many conflict settings, a nation’s government exerts its dominance over a marginalized population group through laws, policies, and practices that foster stark inequality. This book shows how such domination comes in the form of systems of humiliation orchestrated by governmental forces.

While violence in the Darfur region of Sudan continues, Darfurians are engulfed in the tumult, experiencing systematic slaughter, sexual violence, and internal displacement on a massive scale. This book examines the continuing devastation in the region from the perspective of a multiplicity of conflicts of distinct types.

During a conflict, all those on the opposite side are perceived as the enemy, with little distinction between soldiers and civilians. As a result, random atrocities and systematic violence against civilian populations become acceptable. This book systematically studies civilian devastation in violent conflicts and investigates the identity politics underlying conflicts of many types.