Download Free Identity Politics And Ethnic Conflicts In Rwanda And Burundi Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Identity Politics And Ethnic Conflicts In Rwanda And Burundi and write the review.

This work looks at conflicts between the Hutu and the Tutsi in Rwanda and Burundi. The conflicts between the two groups have sometimes been characterised as ethnic, although neither group has fundamental attributes of ethnicity or ethnic identity which separate one from the other. They have the same culture. They speak the same language. And they have had a common history during the past 400 years. They have intermingled and have intermarried for so long since the Tutsi arrived in the region about 400 years ago that whatever differences existed between them in the past in terms of culture, identity, and biology have been erased. Yet they do exist as distinct social groups. They maintain separate group identities, as Hutus and as Tutsis, mainly because of the asymmetrical relationship between them. Inequity of power has solidified those identities. Historically, the Tutsi minority have been the rulers. Their status as the dominant group was enhanced during colonial rule when the Belgians favoured and recognised them as the traditional rulers, superior to the Hutu, thus legitimising inequalities between the two groups. The differences between them were even given official sanction. And the subordinate status of the Hutu majority was used by the Belgians to justify discrimination against them in terms of employment and educational opportunities while favouring the Tutsi. The conflict between the two groups is rooted in inequity of power, fuelled by stereotypes against the Hutu majority. Domination of the Hutu majority by the Tutsi minority, which started before the advent of colonial rule, has also solidified ethnic identities of the two groups through the years. A shared consciousness among the members of each group and their distinctiveness - each seeing themselves as different from the other - have also played a major role in the evolution and consolidation of these separate identities.
This is a historical survey and analysis of some of the bloodiest conflicts in modern times. The civil wars in Rwanda and Burundi, twin states in the Great Lakes region of East Africa, are often explained in simplistic terms even by some political pundits as mere tribal wars, rooted in anciet hatred, between the Hutu and the Tutsi. Ethnicity is indeed a factor. But of paramount importance in this conflict between the Hutu and the Tutsi, in both countries, is the struggle for power although with "racial" overtones, and the exclusion of the Hutu majority from meaningful participation in the political process. Therefore the conflicts are not tribal wars but political statements as well, probably more than anything else; what Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa aptly described as "military expressions of political intent." In this comprehensive study, the author also addresses one of the most controversial subjects today: conflict resolution in Africa. There are no easy answers, but the author attempts to provide some of them. He covers as much ground as possible, trying to come up with solutions not only to the wars in Africa's Great Lakes region, but in other parts of the continent as well.
When considering strategies to address violent conflict, scholars and policymakers debate the wisdom of recognizing versus avoiding reference to ethnic identities in government institutions. In Diversity, Violence, and Recognition, Elisabeth King and Cyrus Samii examine the reasons that governments choose to recognize ethnic identities and the consequences of such choices for peace. The authors introduce a theory on the merits and risks of recognizing ethnic groups in state institutions, pointing to the crucial role of ethnic demographics. Through a global quantitative analysis and in-depth case studies of Burundi, Rwanda, and Ethiopia, they find promise in recognition. Countries that adopt recognition go on to experience less violence, more economic vitality, and more democratic politics, but these effects depend on which ethnic group is in power. King and Samii's findings are important for scholars studying peace, democracy, and development, and practically relevant to policymakers attempting to make these concepts a reality.
This book offers a wide-ranging discussion of the roots and consequences of ethnic strife in Burundi, and provides the reader with an appropriate background for an understanding of Burundi's transition to multiparty democracy and the coup and violence that followed.
Rwanda and Burundi are strikingly similar countries that underwent democratization in the early 1990s. In both, resistance to democratic reforms led to coups d’état and presidential assassinations. A conundrum arises in terms of what transpires next. In Rwanda, total genocide was perpetrated by extremist Hutu actors, including government officials, upon the country’s Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu populations. In Burundi the coup d’état failed and instead ushered in a lengthy period of civil war. This divergence in outcome is puzzling given the similarity of these two countries, and it is not adequately explained by studies that address collective violence in each. This book utilizes an integrative approach that facilitates the formation of an explanation that more fully accounts for variation in the type of collective violence that occurred in Rwanda and Burundi. Showing that political actors – during periods of major institutional change – do not all respond to or perceive reform in the exact same manner or in a necessarily rational manner, this book makes an important contribution to the literature on ethnic conflict, collective violence and democratization in Africa.
This book offers an examination of how a deeply divided post-conflict society embarks on democratic transition. Using Rwanda as the case study, it combines analysis of democratic transition and ethnopolitical debate, asking why deeply divided ethnic societies have a tendency to fail. Though marginalised in existing literature on democratic transition, this path-breaking book shows how ethnicity has a significant impact on the direction and success of democratic process. The initial failure of democratic transition in Rwanda shows that the current regime will need to be sensitive to ethnicity, ethnopolitical consciousness and mobility in order to be successful in its second transition attempt. Based on key informant interviews, participant observation and primary resources, this book develops beyond the case study of Rwanda to posit a new framework that integrates variables of unity, equality, trust and institutional engineering in an integrative model to study and evaluate democratic transition in divided or post-conflict society. Ethnic Politics and Democratic Transition in Rwanda will be of interest to students and scholars of democratization, democracy, and ethnic politics and conflict.
This work looks at conflicts between the Hutu and the Tutsi in Burundi. It is also a profile of the Hutu and the Tutsi as a people. They are two social groups which claim separate identities on ethnic or tribal basis although they speak the same language and have the same culture. The work also looks at conflicts in eastern Congo which led to the downfall of President Mobutu Sese Seko of what was then known as Zaire. The author also looks at attempts by regional neighbours to resolve the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi in Burundi, especially the role played by Tanzania and its former president, Julius Nyerere, who was the chief mediator. Most of Burundi's exports and imports go through Tanzania, giving the country leverage as the main facilitator of the peace process which sometimes has involved economic sanctions against Burundi. The conflict between the Hutu and the Tutsi is one of Africa's intractable problems. It is also one of the oldest in the post-colonial era. The book sheds some light on the complex situation in Burundi and on relations between the two groups. It also provides some insights into what can be done to resolve one of Africa's perennial problems. It can also be helpful to those who are trying to learn about Burundi for the first time. Students of African studies may also find this work to be useful.
Provides the genealogy and history of the African Great Lakes region. It has been the scene of a series of overlapping traumas which have disrupted its geopolitical, economic, social and demographic stability. Despite numerous peace accords, local political compromises and various international interventions, it has yet to find stability.
How can the salience of ethnicity in Rwandan and Burundian politics be overcome? How can this salience be approached analytically? And why, exactly, is it that it is potentially conflict-prone? This book gives answers to these questions on the basis of what Rwandan and Burundian interviewees expressed as taken for granted and real. In particular, it focuses on different political institutional models, and how they help to overcome an ethnic interpretation of political and social exclusion. Despite the diverging institutional approaches to dealing with ethnic cleavages, the qualitative analysis shows that political and social exclusion, in particular the distribution of power, are interpreted in ethnic terms in both countries. Focusing on notions taken for granted by Rwandan and Burundian interviewees, the book demonstrates, how deeply intertwined ethnicity and politics are in Rwanda and Burundi today.