Getting Close to Rwandans since the Genocide: Studying Everyday Life in Highly Politicized Research Settings

Abstract

Abstract:Research with people in highly politicized research settings illuminates the gap between the images that most African governments strive to represent and the sociopolitical realities of everyday life. This article discusses the opportunities and challenges of doing research in postgenocide Rwanda and is a useful resource for researchers contemplating their own projects under such conditions, whether in Rwanda or elsewhere. It discusses the importance of creating personal relationships and meeting people on their terms, as well as such topics as the identification of the research site, building rapport and trust with respondents, safeguarding anonymity and confidentiality, and working with local research assistants and partners.

Rwandan “home grown initiatives”: Illustrating inherent contradictions of the democratic developmental state

“…In the urban community, however, most of those interviewed are among the poorer. Rwanda has been described as a difficult place to conduct ethnographic research, due to government control and reluctance among residents to openly share their views, making it difficult to reach beyond the “public transcript” (Thomson, ; Begley, ). In these interviews, however, people appeared to talk openly and with ease.…”

Law and the architecture of social repair:gacacadays in post‐genocide Rwanda

“…Many scholars have noted particular challenges of conducting research in Rwanda, including government interference in research (Burnet : 25; Ingelaere 2010 a : 42, 50; Pottier ; Thomson 2010 b : 22) and people's subsequent ‘selective telling’ (King : 128). They note that researchers must find ways to avoid taking the government's ‘stage‐setting for granted’ (Ingelaere 2010 a : 42; see also Thomson 2011 a : 375‐6).…”

“…In order to work with the intended target of gacaca – most specifically the rural population, abaturage – and recognizing the importance of interacting with rural Rwandans rather than political and economic elites in the capital (De Lame ; Ingelaere 2010 a : 54; b ; D. Newbury & Newbury ; Thomson 2010 b ), I focused my research in two field sites in southern Rwanda, one rural and one a mid‐size town. I supplemented attendance at gacaca sessions with countless informal conversations with local residents, and with repeated semi‐structured interviews with a cross‐section of people in each area, including gacaca judges, mediators, local authorities, and religious leaders.…”

The Asaba massacre and the Nigerian civil war: reclaiming hidden history

“…Sometimes, later on, the individual would report that in fact she was the person'. 52 Clearly fear of rape was pervasive. Several women described how, as young girls, they were disguised as older women or given babies to carry, in an attempt to ward off would-be rapists.…”