Synopses & Reviews
'
A Rwandan proverb says “Defeat is the only bad news.” For Rwandans living under colonial rule, winning called not only for armed confrontation, but also for a battle of wits—and not only with foreigners, but also with each other. In Defeat Is the Only Bad News Alison Des Forges recounts the ambitions, strategies, and intrigues of an African royal court under Yuhi Musinga, the Rwandan ruler from 1896 to 1931. These were turbulent years for Rwanda, when first Germany and then Belgium pursued an aggressive plan of colonization there. At the time of the Europeans’ arrival, Rwanda was also engaged in a succession dispute after the death of one of its most famous kings. Against this backdrop, the Rwandan court became the stage for a drama of Shakespearean proportions, filled with deceit, shrewd calculation, ruthless betrayal, and sometimes murder. Historians who study European expansion typically focus on interactions between colonizers and colonized; they rarely attend to relations among the different factions inhabiting occupied lands. Des Forges, drawing on oral histories and extensive archival research, reveals how divisions among different groups in Rwanda shaped their responses to colonial governments, missionaries, and traders. Rwandans, she shows, used European resources to extend their power, even as they sought to preserve the autonomy of the royal court. Europeans, for their part, seized on internal divisions to advance their own goals. Des Forges’s vividly narrated history, meticulously edited and introduced by David Newbury, provides a deep context for understanding the Rwandan civil war a century later. '
Review
andldquo;Remaking Rwanda is an ambitious book, a rich and varied compilation that demonstrates the full complement of approaches, methods, and concerns informing the study of post-genocide Rwanda.andrdquo;andmdash;Lee Ann Fujii, author of Killing Neighbors: Webs of Violence in Rwanda
Review
and#147;Through the Day, through the Night is more than a memoir. Jan Vansina has brought to the story of his boyhood and young adulthood the gifts of a historian and ethnographer, steeped in oral history. He highlights and illumines the culture of Belgiumand#151;his country of originand#151;and the culture of the upper class, Flemish, Catholic, intellectual and artistic family in which he was raised. And he vividly conveys his coming-of-age experiences during World War II when Belgium was invaded and occupied by German forces.and#8221;and#151;Renand#233;e Fox, the Annenberg Professor Emerita of the Social Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
Review
and#147;A captivating read. Not only a personal narration about the Flemish struggle to achieve cultural and political recognition, but also a lesson on how history and memory work.and#8221;and#151;Bogumil Jewsiewicki, Universitand#233; Laval, Canada
Review
andldquo;This rich array of careful scholarship provides a valuable, multifaceted view of a country still struggling with the aftereffects of genocide and civil war. It offers an important corrective to the naively rosy picture of Rwanda that too often prevails in the American media.andrdquo;andmdash;Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopoldandrsquo;s Ghost
Review
andldquo;An important contribution to scholarship both on Rwanda and on human rights. Many of the chapters, by leading and emergent Rwanda scholars, directly challenge received wisdom about governance in post-conflict-states, and raise serious questions about the impact of a range of transitional justice measures on longer-term peacebuilding.andrdquo;andmdash;Chandra Lekha Sriram, author of Peace as Governance: Power-Sharing, Armed Groups and Contemporary Peace Negotiations
Review
andldquo;This is a mandatory book on current Rwandaandmdash;by far the best informed treatment written so far. It is a book that nobody who works in Rwandaandmdash;in development, diplomacy, information technology, health, education, etc.andmdash;should neglect: it will allow them to understand far more about this fascinating country than they could get from any other source. In short, it is a must-read for all.andrdquo;andmdash;Peter Uvin, H-Africa
Review
andldquo;This volume is compulsory reading for anyone interested in comprehending some of the contemporary debates about Rwanda and human rights.andrdquo;andmdash;Georgiana Holmes, The Round Table
Review
andldquo;There is still a steady flow of books about the Rwandan genocide of 1994. But Rwandaandrsquo;s present circumstances have been largely neglected. This edited volume is perhaps the first serious attempt to assess contemporary politics in Rwanda over the course of the last decade.andrdquo;?andmdash;Foreign Affairs
Synopsis
To understand the genocide and other dramatic events of Rwanda's recent past, one must understand the history of the earlier realm. Jan Vansina provides a critique of the history recorded by early missionaries and court historians and provides a bottom-up view, drawing on hundreds of grassroots narratives. He describes the genesis of the Hutu and Tutsi identities, their growing social and political differences, their bitter feuds, revolts, and massacres, and the relevance of this dramatic history to the post-genocide Rwanda of today.
2001 French edition, Katharla Publishers
Synopsis
To understand the genocide and other dramatic events of Rwanda’s recent past, one must understand the history of the earlier realm. Jan Vansina provides a critique of the history recorded by early missionaries and court historians and provides a bottom-up view, drawing on hundreds of grassroots narratives. He describes the genesis of the Hutu and Tutsi identities, their growing social and political differences, their bitter feuds, revolts, and massacres, and the relevance of this dramatic history to the post-genocide Rwanda of today.
2001 French edition, Katharla Publishers
This edition is copublished with James Curry Publishers Ltd., Oxford, England.
The Wisconsin paperback is not for sale in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, or the traditional British Commonwealth (excluding Canada.)
Synopsis
'\'
Alison Des Forges recounts the ambitions, strategies, and intrigues of an African royal court under Yuhi Musinga, the Rwandan ruler from 1896 to 1931. Drawing on oral histories and extensive archival research, Des Forges reveals how divisions among different groups in Rwanda shaped their responses to colonial governments, missionaries, and traders. Des Forges’s vividly narrated history, meticulously edited and introduced by David Newbury, provides a deep context for understanding the Rwandan civil war a century later. \\n
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Synopsis
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Alison Liebhafsky Des Forges (1942–2009) was a Yale-trained historian, a leading activist with Human Rights Watch, and the author of Leave None to Tell the Story. David Newbury is the Gwendolen Carter Professor of African Studies at Smith College and author of Kings and Clans: A Social History of the Lake Kivu Rift Valley. \\n
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Synopsis
Remaking Rwanda is the first book to examine Rwandaandrsquo;s remarkable post-genocide recovery in a comprehensive and critical fashion. By paying close attention to memory politics, human rights, justice, foreign relations, land use, education, and other key social institutions and practices, this volume raises serious concerns about the depth and durability of the countryandrsquo;s reconstruction.
Synopsis
In the mid-1990s, civil war and genocide ravaged Rwanda. Since then, the countryandrsquo;s new leadership has undertaken a highly ambitious effort to refashion Rwandaandrsquo;s politics, economy, and society, and the countryandrsquo;s accomplishments have garnered widespread praise. Remaking Rwanda is the first book to examine Rwandaandrsquo;s remarkable post-genocide recovery in a comprehensive and critical fashion. By paying close attention to memory politics, human rights, justice, foreign relations, land use, education, and other key social institutions and practices, this volume raises serious concerns about the depth and durability of the countryandrsquo;s reconstruction.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Edited by Scott Straus and Lars Waldorf, Remaking Rwanda brings together experienced scholars and human rights professionals to offer a nuanced, historically informed picture of post-genocide Rwandaandmdash;one that reveals powerful continuities with the nationandrsquo;s past and raises profound questions about its future.and#160;and#160;Best Special Interest Books, selected by the American Association of School Librariansand#160;Best Special Interest Books, selected by the Public Library Reviewers
Synopsis
Vansina, a historian and anthropologist best known for his insights into oral tradition and social memory, draws on his own memories and those of his siblings to reconstruct daily life in Belgium during World War II.
Synopsis
One of twelve children in a close-knit, affluent Catholic Belgian family, Jan Vansina began life in a seemingly sheltered environment. But that cocoon was soon pierced by the escalating tensions and violence that gripped Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. In this book Vansina recalls his boyhood and youth in Antwerp, Bruges, and the Flemish countryside as the country was rocked by waves of economic depression, fascism, competing nationalisms, and the occupation of first Axis and then Allied forces.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Within the vast literature on World War II, a much smaller body of work treats the everyday experiences of civilians, particularly in smaller countries drawn into the conflict. Recalling the war in Belgium from a childand#8217;s-eye perspective, Vansina describes pangs of hunger so great as to make him crave the bitter taste of cod-liver oil. He vividly remembers the shock of seeing severely wounded men on the grounds of a field hospital, the dangers of crossing fields and swimming in ponds strafed by planes, and his familyand#8217;s interactions with occupying and escaping soldiers from both sides. After the war he recalls emerging numb from the cinema where he first saw the footage of the Nazi death camps, and he describes a new phase of unrest marked by looting, vigilante justice, and the countryand#8217;s efforts at reunification.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Vansina, a historian and anthropologist best known for his insights into oral tradition and social memory, draws on his own memories and those of his siblings to reconstruct daily life in Belgium during a tumultuous era.
About the Author
'\'
“A brilliant, lively, and daring interpretation of Musinga’s governance of Rwanda under foreign control. Documenting the colonial situation that gave rise to a precarious future, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the tragedy of Rwanda’s recent history.”—Jan Vansina, author of Oral Tradition as History and Antecedents to Modern Rwanda
“This carefully researched, highly readable, and detailed exploration of a critical period in Rwanda’s history stands as a major contribution to our understanding of court politics before and after the advent of colonial rule. There is nothing in print in French or in English comparable to this painstaking investigation.”—René Lemarchand, University of Florida \''
Table of Contents
Prefaceand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
List of Abbreviationsand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
Alison Des Forges: Remembering a Human Rights Heroand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Kenneth Roth
The Historian as Human Rights Activistand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;David Newbury
Introduction: Seeing Like a Post-Conflict Stateand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Scott Straus and Lars Waldorf
Part I. Governance and State Building
1. Limitations to Political Reform: The Undemocratic Nature of Transition in Rwandaand#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Timothy Longman
2. Instrumentalizing Genocide: The RPF's Campaign against andquot;Genocide Ideologyandquot;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Lars Waldorf
3. The Ruler's Drum and the People's Shout: Accountability and Representation on Rwanda's Hillsand#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Bert Ingelaere
4. Building a andquot;Rwanda Fit for Childrenandquot;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Kirrily Pells
5. Beyond andquot;You're Either with Us or against Usandquot;: Civil Society and Policymaking in Post-Genocide Rwandaand#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Paul Gready
Part II. International and Regional Contexts
6. Aid Dependence and Policy Independence: Explaining the Rwandan Paradoxand#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Eugenia Zorbas
7. Funding Fraud? Donors and Democracy in Rwandaand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Rachel Hayman
8. Waging (Civil) War Abroad: Rwanda and the DRCand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Filip Reyntjens
9. Bad Karma: Accountability for Rwandan Crimes in the Congoand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Jason Stearns and Federico Borello
Part III. Justice
10. Victor's Justice Revisited: Rwandan Patriotic Front Crimes and the Prosecutorial Endgame at the ICTRand#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Victor Peskin
11. The Uneasy Relationship between the ICTR and Gacacaand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Don Webster
12. The Sovu Trials: The Impact of Genocide Justice on One Communityand#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Max Rettig
13. andquot;All Rwandans Are Afraid of Being Arrested One Dayandquot;: Prisoners Past, Present, and Futureand#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Carina Tertsakian
Part IV. Economic Development
14. High Modernism at the Ground Level: The Imidugudu Policy in Rwandaand#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Catharine Newbury
15. Rwanda's Post-Genocide Economic Reconstruction: The Mismatch between Elite Ambitions and Rural Realitiesand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;An Ansoms
16. The Presidential Land Commission: Undermining Land Law Reformand#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Chris Huggins
Part V. History and Memory
17. The Past Is Elsewhere: The Paradoxes of Proscribing Ethnicity in Post-Genocide Rwandaand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Nigel Eltringham
18. Topographies of Remembering and Forgetting: The Transformation of Lieux de Mandeacute;moire in Rwanda
and#160;and#160; and#160;Jens Meierhenrich
19. Teaching History in Post-Genocide Rwandaand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Sarah Warshauer Freedman, Harvey M. Weinstein, Karen Murphy, and Timothy Longman
20. Young Rwandans' Narratives of the Past (and Present)and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Lyndsay McLean Hilker
21. Reeducation for Reconciliation: Participant Observations on Ingandoand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Susan Thomson
Part VI. Concluding Observations
Justice and Human Rights for All Rwandansand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Joseph Sebarenzi
The Dancing is Still the Sameand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
and#160;and#160; and#160;Aloys Habimana
Acknowledgmentsand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
Contributorsand#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;
Index