Genocide in Rwanda: Towards a Theoretical Approach
Abstract
Before colonialism, the Rwandese lived together in harmony. They spoke the same language, shared the same culture and geographical territory, intermarried, and belonged to the same clans. Yet, in a period of less than three months in 1994, about one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed by their Hutu neighbors in one of the most horrific genocides ever witnessed. This thesis reviews the definitions of ethnicity and theories of ethnic conflict in the literature. It critically examines how ethnicity was constructed in Rwanda, and how it became rigid, ranked, and polarized. The thesis also examines the roles and interests of the two major actors in the Rwandan genocide: the elite and the masses. Although the ideology of the Rwandan genocide was propounded and popularized by the Hutu extremist elites, its intensity can be explained largely by analyzing the interests and fears of the masses, and why they responded to genocide ideology and elite incitement.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA377906
Entities
People
- Jill D. Rutaremara
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School