Marc Sommers is the award-winning author of ten books. His career has blended peacebuilding and diplomacy with field research and teaching. He uses trust-based methods to address challenges involving youth, conflict, education, gender, systemic exclusion, and violent extremism.
Marc’s books and professional assignments draw deeply from experience in 22 war-affected countries over the past 3 decades. His geographic expertise ranges from Kosovo and East Timor to West, Central, East and the Horn of Africa. A key focus has been marginalized female and male youth.
An accomplished diplomat and internationally recognized youth, peacebuilding, education, gender, security and CVE specialist, Marc also has technical expertise as a strategic advisor, evaluator, public speaker and trainer. He has served as a senior advisor at the State Department and the Dept. of Defense, and in positions supporting USAID. He was a member of the UN Advisory Group of Experts for the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security. He also was a Fellow at The Wilson Center, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and The Bellagio Center.
A former Associate Research Professor at The Fletcher School (Tufts University), Marc is affiliated with the African Studies Center at Boston University and The Bridgeway Group. He has consulted for 20+ NGOs, 5 UN agencies, 6 policy institutes, OSCE and the World Bank. He received his PhD in Anthropology from Boston University in 1994.
Marc’s latest book is “We the Young Fighters: Pop Culture, Terror, and War in Sierra Leone” (University of Georgia Press, October 2023). It is at once a history of a nation, the story of a war, and the saga of downtrodden young people and three pop culture superstars. Reggae idol Bob Marley, rap legend Tupac Shakur, and the John Rambo movie character all portrayed an upside-down world, where those in the right are blamed while the powerful attack them. Their collective example found fertile ground in the West African nation of Sierra Leone, where youth were entrapped, inequality was blatant, and dissent was impossible.
When warfare spotlighting diamonds, marijuana, and extreme terror began in 1991, military leaders exploited the trio’s transcendent power over their young fighters and captives. Once the war expired, youth again turned to Marley for inspiration and Tupac for friendship.
Thoroughly researched and accessibly written, We the Young Fighters probes terror-based warfare and how Tupac, Rambo, and – especially – Bob Marley wove their way into the fabric of alienation, resistance, and hope in Sierra Leone. The tale of pop culture heroes radicalizing warfare and shaping peacetime underscores the need to engage with alienated youth and reform predatory governments. The book ends with a framework for customizing the international response to these twin challenges.
A list of all ten books by Marc Sommers can be found at: marcsommers.com/books
