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Ethnischer Konflikt und Ethnizität in Ruanda: ein Beitrag zur Konzeption von Ethnizität als primordiale Kategorie
Ethnic conflict and ethnicity in Rwanda: a contribution towards the conception of ethnicity as a primordial category
[working paper]
Corporate Editor
Universität Marburg, Zentrum für Konfliktforschung
Abstract "The working paper will contribute to the theoretical discussion about ethnicity and ethnic conflict in general, and in the Rwandan context specifically. It will promote a conception of ethnicity which allows to bridge the opposition between primordial and constructivist approaches commonly found in... view more
"The working paper will contribute to the theoretical discussion about ethnicity and ethnic conflict in general, and in the Rwandan context specifically. It will promote a conception of ethnicity which allows to bridge the opposition between primordial and constructivist approaches commonly found in the scientific discussion. This can be achieved by focussing on the perceptions of social actors, thereby avoiding a superficial analysis of ethnicity and ethnic conflict. This approach assumes ethnicity to be a social category that has been (re)constructed as primordial, meaning that it is constructed to imply a genetically predetermined and fixed parameter. First of all, the case of Rwanda serves to illustrate the opposing approaches that dominate the discussion about ethnicity. The elaboration of the proposed theory will demonstrate the insufficiency of these discussions to grasp the phenomenon of ethnicity. In addition, the theory will show how prior arguments about the question whether speaking of 'ethnic conflict' or not missed the point. Therefore, the question whether the Rwandan genocide was an 'ethnic conflict' needs to be re-examined. In order to avoid the risk of a superficial analysis of ethnicity and ethnic conflict (in the Rwandan context), the experiences and views of people who witnessed tensions and atrocities based on ethnic affiliation will be taken into account. In order to prevent an essentialisation of ethnicity, which could result from merely describing and taking into account the actual perceptions of actors, the historical origin of the ethnic categories in Rwanda will be traced. On the basis of empirical statements, the contradictions and points of contact between the official narration promoted by scientists and the narration of Rwandans will be demonstrated. Finally, the problems and advantages of the scientific discourse on ethnicity in the Rwandan context will be discussed." (author's abstract)... view less
Ruanda dient als Beispiel, um die die Diskussion über Ethnizität dominierenden unterschiedlichen Ansätze zu illustrieren. Die Frage, ob es sich in Ruanda um einen ethnischen Konflikt handelte oder nicht, wird auf der Basis der Erfahrungen und Einstellungen der Menschen behandelt, die Zeuge der Spann... view more
Ruanda dient als Beispiel, um die die Diskussion über Ethnizität dominierenden unterschiedlichen Ansätze zu illustrieren. Die Frage, ob es sich in Ruanda um einen ethnischen Konflikt handelte oder nicht, wird auf der Basis der Erfahrungen und Einstellungen der Menschen behandelt, die Zeuge der Spannungen und Ausschreitungen auf der Basis von ethnischer Zuordnung wurden. Um eine Essenzialisierung zu vermeiden, wird der historische Ursprung ethnischer Kategorien in Ruanda untersucht. Auf der Basis empirischen Materials werden die Widersprüche und Berührungspunkte zwischen der von Wissenschaftlern vertretenen offiziellen Position und der Sicht der ruandischen Bevölkerung herausgearbeitet. Abschließend werden Probleme und Vorteile des wissenschaftlichen Diskurses über Ethnizität im ruandischen Kontext diskutiert. (ICEÜbers)... view less
Keywords
perception; constructivism; ethnicity; genocide; Rwanda; ethnic group; discourse; research approach; social actor; ethnic relations; ethnic structure; ethnic conflict
Classification
Peace and Conflict Research, International Conflicts, Security Policy
Cultural Sociology, Sociology of Art, Sociology of Literature
Method
qualitative empirical; descriptive study; empirical; quantitative empirical
Document language
German
Publication Year
2008
City
Marburg
Page/Pages
28 p.
Series
CCS Working Papers, 9
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications
Data providerThis metadata entry was indexed by the Special Subject Collection Social Sciences, USB Cologne