<div>Understanding the current civil war in Congo requires an examination of how the Congo's identity has been imagined over time. <i>Imagining the Congo</i> historicizes and contextualizes the constructions of the Congo's identity during four historical periods. Kevin Dunn explores "imaginings" of the Congo that have allowed the current state of affairs there to develop, and the broader conceptual question of how identity has become important in recent IR scholarship.<br></div>