A History of Rwandan Identity and Trauma The Mythmakers' Victims [Paperback]

In?A History of Rwandan Identity and Trauma Randall Fegley has produced a significant contribution to the literature on the Rwandan genocide. Through focusing on mythologies of violence, Fegley shows that Rwandas future may indeed depend partly on demystifying narratives about the past. Fegleys treatment of the dilemmas involved in teaching history in Rwanda is particularly thoughtful.This book examines the complicated events, conditions, and narratives that have shaped Rwandas identity. Drawing on numerous sources and fieldwork, it discusses this east central African nations deeply seated cleavages, atrocious recent past, and the internal and external myths that have directed its history and national life.Few societies have faced the difficulties of identity building experienced by Rwanda. This books introduction reviews literature on the concepts of myth and trauma, and then introduces basic information on Rwanda and how it has been viewed by the outside world. Chapter One describes early Rwandas political and cultural development, traditional narratives, group migrations, the effects of German and later Belgian colonialism, and the introduction of Christianity. It concludes with a look at how this early history has been interpreted and reinterpreted. The second chapter discusses the end of Tutsi dominance and the 1959 Hutu Revolution. It details Hutu Power ideology, Belgian domestic politics, early acts of genocide, refugee movements, and economic and political stagnation. The text documents the development of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, its 1990 invasion, and the Arusha peace process. An account of the 1994 genocide follows. However, as this has been covered in numerous other works, descriptions are limited to key events and general patterns. The chapter ends with a review of films, books, and other publications that brought Rwandas plight to a worldwide audience, but that also created new myths. Chapter Three examines the countrys post-genocide reconstl3-