, PLEASE USE THIS DOCUMENT AS A GUIDE TO ANSWER YOUR ASSIGNMENT
1. Describe the literature review strategies you will use in a study attempting to develop the
notion “eco-violence” as a new concept describing the complex competition for scarce water
resources that undergird intergroup clashes in the Sahel region.
Introduction
To develop the notion of “eco-violence” as a new concept describing the complex competition for
scarce water and agricultural resources that underlies intergroup clashes in the Sahel region, a
carefully designed literature review is essential. This review will focus on clarifying and refining the
key concepts and keywords that frame these conflicts, while setting clear parameters for locating and
selecting relevant scholarly and credible sources. Special emphasis will be placed on using a
combination of academic databases, regional studies, and interdisciplinary research to ensure that
diverse perspectives on environmental scarcity, resource conflict, and social dynamics in the Sahel
are adequately captured.
The suitability of each source will be judged based on its relevance, scholarly credibility, contextual
depth, and its contribution to identifying conceptual gaps that justify the introduction of
“eco-violence” as a broader, more nuanced term. To present the findings coherently, the review will
adopt a thematic structure, which is well-suited for organising complex, overlapping topics and for
tracing how different strands of research intersect and diverge. Care will be taken to distinguish the
critical review of existing literature from the development of a sound theoretical framework,
ensuring that theoretical foundations are clearly justified rather than assumed. Throughout the
process, strict strategies will be employed to uphold academic integrity, including diligent
referencing, the use of plagiarism-detection tools, and a commitment to producing original, critically
engaged work free from unacknowledged AI-generated content. By following these strategies, the
literature review will lay a solid foundation for advancing “eco-violence” as a coherent and relevant
concept for understanding resource-driven conflict in the Sahel.
Keywords and Concepts
To build a clear and comprehensive foundation for this study, it is crucial to identify the main
keywords and concepts that will guide the literature search and review process. The core concept is
eco-violence, which will be developed as a term capturing the intersection of ecological scarcity and
intergroup conflict. Related keywords will include resource conflict, farmer–herder clashes, water
scarcity, land-use conflict, environmental security, resource competition, Sahel conflicts,
desertification, climate change and conflict, political ecology, and environmental injustice.
In addition to these primary terms, the review will pay attention to conceptual phrases that describe
underlying factors and processes, such as neo-Malthusian theory, Cornucopian theory,
supply-induced scarcity, structural scarcity, political opportunity structure, ethnic conflict,
institutional failure, and governance of natural resources. These concepts will help capture the
multiple layers that shape resource-based violence in the Sahel region.
By using these keywords in various combinations, the literature review will ensure that different
dimensions of the topic — ecological, political, economic, and social — are adequately represented
and interrogated to support the development of “eco-violence” as an integrated analytical concept.
1. Describe the literature review strategies you will use in a study attempting to develop the
notion “eco-violence” as a new concept describing the complex competition for scarce water
resources that undergird intergroup clashes in the Sahel region.
Introduction
To develop the notion of “eco-violence” as a new concept describing the complex competition for
scarce water and agricultural resources that underlies intergroup clashes in the Sahel region, a
carefully designed literature review is essential. This review will focus on clarifying and refining the
key concepts and keywords that frame these conflicts, while setting clear parameters for locating and
selecting relevant scholarly and credible sources. Special emphasis will be placed on using a
combination of academic databases, regional studies, and interdisciplinary research to ensure that
diverse perspectives on environmental scarcity, resource conflict, and social dynamics in the Sahel
are adequately captured.
The suitability of each source will be judged based on its relevance, scholarly credibility, contextual
depth, and its contribution to identifying conceptual gaps that justify the introduction of
“eco-violence” as a broader, more nuanced term. To present the findings coherently, the review will
adopt a thematic structure, which is well-suited for organising complex, overlapping topics and for
tracing how different strands of research intersect and diverge. Care will be taken to distinguish the
critical review of existing literature from the development of a sound theoretical framework,
ensuring that theoretical foundations are clearly justified rather than assumed. Throughout the
process, strict strategies will be employed to uphold academic integrity, including diligent
referencing, the use of plagiarism-detection tools, and a commitment to producing original, critically
engaged work free from unacknowledged AI-generated content. By following these strategies, the
literature review will lay a solid foundation for advancing “eco-violence” as a coherent and relevant
concept for understanding resource-driven conflict in the Sahel.
Keywords and Concepts
To build a clear and comprehensive foundation for this study, it is crucial to identify the main
keywords and concepts that will guide the literature search and review process. The core concept is
eco-violence, which will be developed as a term capturing the intersection of ecological scarcity and
intergroup conflict. Related keywords will include resource conflict, farmer–herder clashes, water
scarcity, land-use conflict, environmental security, resource competition, Sahel conflicts,
desertification, climate change and conflict, political ecology, and environmental injustice.
In addition to these primary terms, the review will pay attention to conceptual phrases that describe
underlying factors and processes, such as neo-Malthusian theory, Cornucopian theory,
supply-induced scarcity, structural scarcity, political opportunity structure, ethnic conflict,
institutional failure, and governance of natural resources. These concepts will help capture the
multiple layers that shape resource-based violence in the Sahel region.
By using these keywords in various combinations, the literature review will ensure that different
dimensions of the topic — ecological, political, economic, and social — are adequately represented
and interrogated to support the development of “eco-violence” as an integrated analytical concept.
