Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : 'unsettling violence' / by Pal Ahluwalia, Louise Bethlehem, and Ruth Ginio -- The glorious violence of Amdä Seyon of Ethiopia / Steven Kaplan -- The unwritten history of ethnic co-existence in colonial Africa : an example from Douala, Cameroon / Lynn Schler -- The vulgarization of politics : ethnic violence in Kenya / Pal Ahluwalia -- Sacral spaces in two West African cities / AbdouMaliq Simone -- The 'rugged life' : youth and violence in southern Nigeria / David Pratten -- Security and violence on the frontier of the state : vigilant citizens in Nkomazi, South Africa / Steffen Jensen -- 'Keeping the peace' : violent justice, crime and vigilantism in Tanzania / Megan G. Plyler -- Mellow yellow : image, violence, and play in apartheid South Africa / John Peffer -- Childhood in the shadow of violence : Kathorus, South Africa / Vanessa Barolsky -- To live, with it / Adam Sitze.