Memory and Justice in Post-Genocide Rwanda

A critical exploration of the steps taken to promote peace, reconciliation and justice in post-genocide Rwanda.

Timothy Longman (Author)

9781107678095, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 13 July 2017

386 pages, 6 b/w illus. 1 map 1 table
22.7 x 15.3 x 2.1 cm, 0.56 kg

'A critically rich and interwoven text, reflecting the complexity of lived experiences in the wake of conflict and violence.' Andra le Roux-Kemp , Africa Today

Following times of great conflict and tragedy, many countries implement programs and policies of transitional justice, none more extensive than in post-genocide Rwanda. Placing Rwanda's transitional justice initiatives in their historical and political context, this book examines the project undertaken by the post-genocide government to shape the collective memory of the Rwandan population, both through political and judicial reforms but also in public commemorations and memorials. Drawing on over two decades of field research in Rwanda, Longman uses surveys and comparative local case studies to explore Rwanda's response both at a governmental and local level. He argues that despite good intentions and important innovations, Rwanda's authoritarian political context has hindered the ability of transnational justice to bring the radical social and political transformations that its advocates hoped. Moreover, it continues to heighten the political and economic inequalities that underline ethnic divisions and are an important ongoing barrier to reconciliation.

1. Introduction: the meaning of Murambi
Part I. Creating What You Are Afraid Of: The Rwandan Patriotic Front's Transitional Justice Program: 2. Rewriting history in post-genocide Rwanda
3. Symbolic struggles
4. Justice as memory
5. From violent repression to political domination: transitional justice, political reform and development
Part II. Popular Narratives: 6. Political reform in three Rwandan communities
7. Popular narratives of memory and history
8. Politics by other means: popular opinion about 'transitional justice'
9. Conclusion: 'we pretend to live together': assessing the impact of transitional justice mechanisms in Rwanda.

Subject Areas: Constitution: government & the state [JPHC]