Remembering humanity : the politics of genocide memorialisation in Rwanda

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 a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ibreck, Rachel Claire
Published: University of Bristol 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.503868
Description
Summary: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.