Remembering humanity : the politics of genocide memorialisation in Rwanda

Abstract

My thesis explores the political significance of memorialisation after mass violence through an empirical study of the sites and rituals dedicated to remembering the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. My aim is to contribute to debates about the relationships between memory, identity, trauma and politics. I also seek to expose the dynamics of memory in a volatile political context. Increasingly, there is interest in how memory might contribute to political transformation after conflict or repression. However memorials are also typically regarded as an instrument for political elites to impose their visions of the past. I consider the politics of memorialisation at a time when the effects of violence and its memory cast shadows over Rwanda and the surrounding region.

Date of Award	2009
Original language	English
Supervisor	Vernon Hewitt (Supervisor) & Marsha Henry (Supervisor)