Solidarity in Time of Armed Conflict. Women’s patterns of solidarity in Internally Displaced Person (IDPs) camps in Darfur, Western Sudan

This study is an interdisciplinary study it brings together three rather unrelated traditions of social scientific thinking concerning social bonds: (1) sociological theory on solidarity, (2) anthropological theory on the cultural and social meanings of exchange, and (3) social psychology theory of emotions (based on conditions and circumstances that promote solidarity). The study also builds a framework to explore social solidarity in the context of armed conflict. Therefore, our research design comprises two studies, a qualitative study and a quantitative one, with a sample of 505 married, widows, divorced, and separated women (50 for the qualitative investigation) coming from different ethnic groups. We also interviewed the camp leader, government institutions, and NGOs. And to gain a better understanding of the practices of solidarity at the everyday level, we did participant observation. Moreover, the mixed methodology adopted in this study has allowed us to approach and explore the phenomena in two different ways, reaching a more comprehensive understanding Through qualitative exploration, we have been able to explain how the community mange to build social fabric with the help of the NGOs and the camp leaders. Also, it shows how political and economic situations can impact social bonds. Also, it explains how Darfurian women have shown themselves to be highly competent and active who draw on personal, social, and external resources to enhance their social solidarity so they can cope with the hard-living condition. Women’s solidarity has emerged as particularly multidimensional, revealing the importance of moving across individual, family, community, and societal levels when examining life in war-torn contexts. The conceptual model built from our data highlights the crucial interconnection between women’s coping strategies and practices of solidarity. Furthermore, the results show how women’s agency as a bottom-up approach to peacebuilding can contribute to states’ long-term peacebuilding efforts and, thus, can complement the existing top-down efforts if given support and recognition. Through quantitative exploration, we have been able to see with whom women exchange gifts and who they trust and ask for help (ingroup and outgroup). In the quantitative study, we used logistic regression to examine the impact of armed conflict on social bonds. The study uses trust and associational participation measures as proxies for social capital. The empirical results show a renewed interest in associations. They also give support to the eroding trust between women. The loss of trust poses a true challenge in the concept of peacebuilding and rebuilding social cohesion. Our findings challenge the picture mentioned above of women as helpless victims, portraying women living in the shadow of violence as strong mobilizing resources both within themselves and within their social and political world. By filling gaps in the available knowledge about women’s social solidarity in the context of armed conflict, this research suggests possible directions to follow in order to design better policies and interventions. Yet, Further research is needed to understand all social impacts of the Darfur conflict.