Politics of Victimhood: The Rwandan Patriotic Front and Post-Genocide Identity Construction
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 26, 2019
- Creator
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Skutch, Sara H.
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense
- Abstract
- While identity is an ever-evolving concept, this moment in the story of Rwandan identity is unique. It is dynamic. The government’s strict interpretation of Rwandan history and national identity frequently run counter to family histories and messages about ethnicity that Rwandans receive at home. The RPF is not widely seen as the inclusive party working to unify people that it tries to portray domestically, there is substantial political suppression and fear that Rwandans associate with it. Without a safe space to explore the vital disparities surrounding their Rwandan identities and cultural backgrounds, a generation is being brought up mired in dissonance. The government’s biggest shortcoming is the belief that if they wait long enough, stick to their black and white interpretation of the genocide, and force people to adopt their agenda, violent antagonisms of the past can be buried in the ground with the older generations. They fail to realize the intergenerational effects of the genocide, the reminders of ethnicity that cannot be silenced, and the contradictions they are actively creating by continuing a political discourse of victimhood. It is unclear whether they will be successful in redefining Rwandaness, but it will take more than time, a new history curriculum, and a strong arm.
- Date of publication
- spring 2016
- Keyword
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Note
- Funding: None
- Advisor
- Shields, Sarah
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts
- Honors level
- Highest Honors
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Extent
- 78
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This work has no parents.