The Rise of Boko Haram and the missing girls
Author
Adu-Atwere, Jasmine
Term
4. term
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-07-29
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvorfor bortførelsen af 276 skolepiger fra Chibok i april 2014 udløste en usædvanlig stærk international reaktion. Med udgangspunkt i Birgitta Höijers diskurs om global medfølelse og Nils Christies teori om det ideelle offer, som er tilpasset af Joris van Wijk, gennemfører studiet en sekundæranalyse af eksisterende forskning og mediedækning for at forstå, hvordan offerstatus blev konstrueret og formidlet. Specialet argumenterer for, at den verdensomspændende opmærksomhed blev drevet af medfølelse med piger, der blev fremstillet som magtesløse og uden skyld, bortført mens de forberedte eksamen, og dermed passede til den kulturelt genkendelige figur af det ideelle offer for internationale forbrydelser. Markant fortalervirksomhed (#BringBackOurGirls) fra blandt andre Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai og Angelina Jolie forstærkede denne indramning, mens nyhedskriterier som klarhed, unikhed, omfang og timing gjorde historien særligt nyhedsværdig. Analysen placerer også sagen i konteksten af Boko Harams fremvækst og de kønnede dynamikker i Nigeria. Selvom bortførelsen først dominerede overskrifterne, ebbede opmærksomheden ud i takt med manglende fremskridt og dukkede kortvarigt op igen ved redningen af én pige to år senere. Gennem at spore, hvordan medfølelse og mediefortællinger formede den globale respons, belyser specialet, hvorfor nogle grusomheder i Afrika får enestående synlighed, mens andre ikke gør.
This thesis examines why the April 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok by Boko Haram triggered an unusually strong international response. Drawing on Birgitta Höijer’s discourse of global compassion and Nils Christie’s ideal victim theory as adapted by Joris van Wijk, the study conducts a secondary analysis of existing research and media coverage to explore how victimhood was constructed and circulated. It argues that worldwide attention was driven by compassion for girls portrayed as powerless and blameless, abducted while preparing for exams, fitting the culturally resonant image of the ideal victim of international crime. High-profile advocacy (#BringBackOurGirls) by figures such as Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, and Angelina Jolie amplified this framing, while news values—clarity, uniqueness, scale, and timing—made the story especially newsworthy. The analysis also situates the case within the rise of Boko Haram and the gendered dynamics of violence in Nigeria. Although the abduction initially dominated headlines, attention declined as limited progress became apparent, resurfacing briefly with the rescue of one girl two years later. By tracing how compassion and media narratives shaped global engagement, the thesis explains why some atrocities in Africa gain extraordinary visibility while many others do not.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
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