Congratulations to Dr Christine Cheng on winning the 2019 Conflict Research Society Book of the Year Prize for 'Extralegal Groups in Post-Conflict Liberia'.

After the Liberian civil war ended, groups of ex-combatants seized control of natural resource enclaves in the rubber, diamond, and timber sectors. In ‘Extralegal Groups in Post-Conflict Liberia: How Trade Makes the State’. Dr Cheng’s book delves into this aftermath.

Dr Cheng says "I definitely wasn't expecting this kind of response to my book. Because several of my arguments challenge core tenets of international statebuilding and whether the West really knows best in war-to-peace transitions, I wasn't sure how my critiques would be received. To be honest, I wrote a book that was contrarian in many ways- substantively, structurally, and methodologically- and I wasn't sure if anyone was going to like it.”

The Conflict Research Society (CRS) Book of the Year Prize honours research that is contemporary, exceptional, and world leading, and which provides an invaluable contribution to the literature on conflict and peace studies, very broadly defined. It is an annual prize selected from nominations made by leading authorities around the world in the areas of conflict and/or peace studies.

“Being part of an all-women shortlist for the book award, with my friends Jana Krause and Amelia Hoover-Green, felt momentous enough! Winning the CRS book award has meant so much to me as a scholar- I feel like my voice and my worldview have been given some important validation."

Listen to Dr Christine Cheng further discuss her book in the latest War Studies podcast here.