THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE PORTRAYALS OF CHILD SOLDIERS THROUGH THE LENSES OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND KEY STAKEHOLDERS CLAUDIA ARICI A THESIS SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY FACULTY OF LAW UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY 2020 ABSTRACT This thesis explores the construction and deployment of global representations of child soldiers. The main argument is that understanding the representation of child soldiers by unravelling the way it is constructed has an important impact on policy applications when addressing child soldiers. In broadening the theoretical, conceptual and practical interpretations of the concept of ‘child soldier’, this thesis demonstrates some of the political effects of these portrayals. Given the multidimensional and multifaceted nature of the child soldier phenomenon, a cross-disciplinary approach is employed. Perspectives from law, public policy and anthropology, in addition to different qualitative methods, are used to explore the representations of child soldiers by key stakeholders. Considering the relationship context in which child soldiers exist, this thesis argues that the child soldiers’ identity is a complex one that cannot be considered in isolation from the external stakeholders who contribute to its creation. Nor can the representation of child soldiers be dissociated from environmental, structural and cultural factors. This persona is produced differently in different locations, in multiple and sometimes contradictory ways. The contrastive iconographic and gendered images of child soldiers are exceedingly significant not only for what they convey, but also for what they obscure. Additionally, politically and materially, the identity ‘child soldier’ carries a range of meanings and implications in the process of post-war rehabilitation and reintegration of child ex-combatants into society. In these contexts, new meanings of childhood and of youth as a political identity emerge — meanings influenced by international discourse around children’s rights. The main hypothesis of my thesis is that the representation of child soldiers cannot escape the institutional, political and social positioning of the stakeholders. It is not possible to represent or act from the ‘outside’, since everyone is always already situated inside discourse, culture, institutions and geopolitics. Consequently, portrayals are always mediated by a confluence of diverse institutional interests and pressures and other identifiable externalities; in this regard, representation serves a utilitarian purpose. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The last few years have probably been the most challenging and rewarding years of my life. Writing this thesis has never been straightforward: my research has been filled with moments of doubt, times of serendipity, and then more doubts when all my certainties came crumbling down like a castle of cards. I would not have made it to today without the help, support and encouragement of some people. Above all, I would like to express my deep appreciation to my three supervisors for their time and interest in the supervision of this thesis. First, I would like to thank Professor Mark Findlay, my main supervisor for the first three and a half years of my PhD: this thesis would not have turned out the way it has if it hadn’t been for Mark’s input, suggestions and feedback. Thanks for being the one able to see the big picture, to read between the lines, and to interpret my confused thoughts and ideas — even when I wasn't yet aware of them. Second, thanks to Professor Thomas Crofts, my co-supervisor along the way and my main supervisor for the last leg of the journey. Your insights and your balanced comments and suggestions proved to be invaluable and, when I needed you the most, you stepped up and helped me cross the line. Third, thanks to Professor Emily Crawford for agreeing to take on the co-supervision of my thesis in the last months. Your advice has certainly proven valuable at a very critical time. Many thanks are also due to the School of Law of the University of Sydney for facilitating my research by awarding me scholarships for the length of my program: it allowed me the luxury of concentrating on research without financial worries. Thanks to Michelle Nichols who edited the last version of my thesis with patience and precision. It has been a pleasure to share this path with my fellow PhD colleagues at the Law School, in particular Darlis and Jenny, and I want to thank you all for the stimulating discussions and the crises we solved together. I wish that every one of you reaches the light at the end of the tunnel sooner rather than later, without losing your minds! I know that at times it can seem an endless road, but I promise you you'll get there! iii Acknowledgments I’m extremely thankful to Shena Gacu, who played a big part in inspiring this thesis and whose story and testimony convinced me of the importance of my research when the hurdles along the way made me question it. You are a truly inspiring woman, and I admire you for the strength you were able to find in yourself to turn your life around after such a tough start. To my friends, near and far, who have listened endlessly to my tirades about child soldiers and have patiently asked for updates on my progress: I can’t promise you that I won’t be talking about child soldiers anymore, but I can guarantee that I won’t mention my PhD after today! Thanks to my Bailey, for his companionable choice of my thesis draft as a place to settle down for a nap, and for sitting next to me for hundreds of hours while I navigated the meanders of this PhD. I owe so much to my wonderful family, who has always encouraged me to do and be my very best. Your love and support, despite the distance, has been the fuel that kept me going, and your teaching me that I could do anything I like is what led me here today. Another big thank you to my Aussie family, who has always accepted me for who I am and who has provided relief and support when I needed it most. To my baby Charlie, who has brought so much joy and fun – but also tiredness and worries – into our lives. I love you with every cell of my body and I take so much pride in being your mamma. You are my biggest achievement! Finally, no words could express my gratitude to my biggest fan, my loving husband. Your unwavering faith in me and your unquestionable belief that I could do it – even when all the odds seemed stacked against me – make me extremely humble. I could not have done it without your love and support, and this is your achievement as much as mine. May this be the first of many goals that we reach together. iv DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that this thesis is entirely my own work and that any material written by others has been acknowledged in the text. The thesis has not been presented for a degree or for any other purposes at The University of Sydney or at any other university or institution. The empirical work undertaken for this thesis (interviews) was approved by The University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). Claudia Arici v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................ iii Declaration of Originality ........................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... vi Chapter I: Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 1. Background to the Study .......................................................................................................................... 1 2. Research Paradigm .................................................................................................................................... 4 3. Significance of the Research and Contribution to Scholarship .......................................................... 10 4. Methodology Overview .......................................................................................................................... 13 5. Structure of the Thesis ............................................................................................................................. 17 Chapter II: Engagement with Empirical Understanding ...................................................................... 21 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 21 2. Grounded Phenomenology Theory ....................................................................................................... 22 2.1. Grounded Theory and Phenomenology .................................................................................... 22 2.2. Use of Qualitative Grounded Phenomenology Methodology for This Study ..................... 25 3. Initial Approach to Fieldwork Research ............................................................................................... 31 4. Subsequent Approach to Fieldwork Research ....................................................................................